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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Bad week for hidden variables

The Quantum Frontiers blog writes:
Today, it became abundantly clear that it’s been a tough week for hidden variable theories. ...

Let me explain. Hidden variable theories were proposed by physicists in an attempt to explain the ‘indeterminism’ which seems to arise in quantum mechanics, and especially in the double-slit experiment. ...

However, the two recent Science papers in question used quantum-information variants of this delayed-choice experiment to hammer additional nails in the coffin of local hidden variable theories.
As I explained this week about a third paper against hidden variables, these theories have been dead since 1930.

So why do physicists keep disproving hidden variable theories if no one believes in them anyway? Einstein and other quantum mechanics skeptics expressed a preference for hidden variable theories.

I argued in my FQXi essay that pursuit of hidden variable theories is rooted in a false belief in that mathematization of nature. People refuse to acknowledge that they are even making the assumption.

1 comment:

  1. Instead of using +/1 as the response of a measurement device try using (n1,0) for channel 1 and (0, n2) for channel 2 where n1 and n2 are arbitrary but fixed from observation to observation. When a 'click' occurs in channel 1 use its 2-vector. When a click occurs in channel 2 use its 2-vector. I bet you can reproduce the -a.b cosine rule. Try it.

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