Explaining the Unobserved—Why Quantum Mechanics Ain’t Only About Information

Hagar, Amit; Hemmo, Meir

doi:10.1007/s10701-006-9065-9

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Note that Eqs. (31) and (33) are complex equations, but one could symmetrize them and make them purely real if one wanted to. There are also some advantages to working out these equations more explicitly in terms of the completely symmetric 3-index tensor…”

Section: Expressing Quantum-state Space In Terms Of Sicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum-Bayesian coherence

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In a quantum-Bayesian take on quantum mechanics, the Born Rule cannot be interpreted as a rule for setting measurement-outcome probabilities from an objective quantum state. But if not, what is the role of the rule? In this paper, we argue that it should be seen as an empirical addition to Bayesian reasoning itself. Particularly, we show how to view the Born Rule as a normative rule in addition to usual Dutch-book coherence. It is a rule that takes into account how one should assign probabilities to the consequences of various intended measurements on a physical system, but explicitly in terms of prior probabilities for and conditional probabilities consequent upon the imagined outcomes of a special counterfactual reference measurement. This interpretation is seen particularly clearly by representing quantum states in terms of probabilities for the outcomes of a fixed, fiducial symmetric informationally complete (SIC) measurement. We further explore the extent to which the general form of the new normative rule implies the full state-space structure of quantum mechanics. It seems to get quite far.

show abstract

Section: Expressing Quantum-state Space In Terms Of Sicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum-Bayesian coherence

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…8 Postulate 1 says that this sequence is finite. In a particular case, we can ask for the relevant finite number: how many questions are needed to extract maximal information, leading to the assignment of a pure state relative to the observer?…”

Section: The Postulates Constraining Information Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For a contrary view and a recent 'Wigner's friend' type example presented to challenge information-theoretic approaches (specifically Jeffrey Bub's recent work) see[8].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rovelli’s World

Fraassen

2009

Found Phys

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Carlo Rovelli's inspiring "Relational Quantum Mechanics" serves several aims at once: it provides a new vision of what the world of quantum mechanics is like, and it offers a program to derive the theory's formalism from a set of simple postulates pertaining to information processing. I propose here to concentrate entirely on the former, to explore the world of quantum mechanics as Rovelli depicts it. It is a fascinating world in part because of Rovelli's reliance on the information-theory approach to the foundations of quantum mechanics, and in part because its presentation involves taking sides on a fundamental divide within philosophy itself.Keywords Carlo Rovelli · Einstein-Podolski-Rosen · Quantum information · Relational quantum mechanics Rovelli's inspiring "Relational Quantum Mechanics" provides an original vision of what the world of quantum mechanics is like. 1 It is fascinating in part because its presentation involves taking sides on a fundamental divide within philosophy itself.1 Rovelli [11]; I will refer by section numbers, since a revised version is available on the web. I happily dedicate this paper to Jeffrey Bub, whose work has inspired me for a good quarter of a century.

show abstract

“…The foundational tenability of the claim that QT is about quantum information has already been subject of profound scrutiny both formally and conceptually (e.g. Hagar andHemmo 2006, Timpson 2013); in this paper, I will focus on the consequences that this claim has at the level of the theory of explanation. I take it as a virtue of the following arguments, that they hold independently of the points already made in the above cited, previous works.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum theory is not only about information

Felline

2020

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In his recent book Bananaworld. Quantum mechanics for primates, Jeff Bub revives and provides a mature version of his influential information-theoretic interpretation of Quantum Theory (QT). In this paper, I test Bub's conjecture that QT should be interpreted as a theory about information, by examining whether his information-theoretic interpretation has the resources to explain (or explain away) quantum conundrums. The discussion of Bub's theses will also serve to investigate, more in general, whether other approaches succeed in defending the claim that QT is about quantum information. First of all, I argue that Bub's interpretation of QT as a principle theory fails to fully explain quantum non-locality. Secondly, I argue that a constructive interpretation, where the quantum state is interpreted ontically as information, also fails at providing a full explanation of quantum correlations. Finally, while epistemic interpretations might succeed in this respect, I argue that such a success comes at the price of rejecting some in between the most basic scientific standards of physical theories.

show abstract

Explaining the Unobserved—Why Quantum Mechanics Ain’t Only About Information

Cited by 23 publications

References 34 publications

Quantum-Bayesian coherence

Quantum-Bayesian coherence

Rovelli’s World

Quantum theory is not only about information

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About