On Some Troubles with the Metaphysics of Fermionic Compositions

Bigaj, Tomasz

doi:10.1007/s10701-016-0013-z

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Its most complete exposition can be found in (Caulton 2014(Caulton , 2015. Similar ideas have been endorsed in (Dieks & Lubberdink 2011, 2020, (Saunders 2013(Saunders , 2015, (Friebe 2014) and (Bigaj 2015(Bigaj , 2016(Bigaj , 2020a(Bigaj , 2020b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Synchronic and diachronic identity for elementary particles

Bigaj

2020

Euro Jnl Phil Sci

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The main focus of this paper is on the notion of transtemporal (diachronic) identity applied to quantum particles. I pose the question of how the symmetrization postulate with respect to instantaneous states of particles of the same type affects the possibility of identifying interacting particles before and after their interaction. The answer to this question turns out to be contingent upon the choice between two available conceptions of synchronic individuation of quantum particles that I call the orthodox and heterodox approaches. I argue that the heterodox approach offers a better explanation of the known experimental facts regarding particle interactions, and I probe deeper the concepts of synchronic and diachronic identity emerging from this approach.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Synchronic and diachronic identity for elementary particles

Bigaj

2020

Euro Jnl Phil Sci

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“…Regarding the given system with (2; −2; 0) as the definite bundle of global properties, one can manipulate it in a way that (only) this property bundle will be replaced with another, likewise possessed by a single undivided whole. 15 Hopefully, one can change the undivided whole to obtain an entangled system, e.g., (2; −2; 0) will be replaced with (2; 0; R − L) in this state:…”

Section: The Peculiar Summing Defense For Bosonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leibniz’s Principle, (Non-)Entanglement, and Pauli Exclusion

Friebe

2024

Philosophies

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Both bosons and fermions satisfy a strong version of Leibniz’s Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles (PII), and so are ontologically on a par with respect to the PII. This holds for non-entangled, non-product states and for physically entangled states—as it has been established in previous work. In this paper, the Leibniz strategy is completed by including the (bosonic) symmetric product states. A new understanding of Pauli’s Exclusion Principle is provided, which distinguishes bosons from fermions in a peculiar ontological way. Finally, the program as a whole is defended against substantial objections.

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“…As can be quickly verified, a fermionic state whose Schmidt–Slater decomposition consists of m antisymmetric blocks admits 2 m –1 distinct individuations and thus 2 m –1 emergent pairs of particles. However, there is a different type of non-uniqueness for fermionic states that admits an infinity (even continuum) of alternative individuations [34,35]. Moreover, this non-uniqueness affects non-entangled states as well as entangled ones.…”

Section: Emergent Particlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entanglement and discernibility of identical particles

Bigaj

2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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This article follows an unorthodox approach to the individuation of quantum particles of the same type. According to this approach, individuation of the components of a composite system of identical particles is done not with the help of unphysical labels (indices) but physically meaningful projection operators. This unorthodox conception requires a modification of the standard notion of entanglement, in order to exclude states whose non-factorizability arises merely from the (anti)symmetrization of a product state. I will report several facts regarding the connections of the modified concept of entanglement with the issue of discernibility. I will also discuss recent experiments involving measurement-induced entanglement, and I will point out that they do not threaten the cogency of the new concept of entanglement. The statistical correlations observed in these experiments are explainable not by the entanglement of the initial state but by the creation of a new, genuinely entangled state by means of a pre-measurement selection. Finally, I will identify and discuss a genuine difference between non-entangled but non-factorizable states of identical particles and ordinary product states, which is that the former but not the latter admits an infinity of alternative and incompatible individuations by single-particle properties. This phenomenon can be accounted for using the concept of emergent particles proposed by Dennis Dieks. This article is part of the theme issue 'Identity, individuality and indistinguishability in physics and mathematics'.

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On Some Troubles with the Metaphysics of Fermionic Compositions

Cited by 10 publications

References 22 publications

Synchronic and diachronic identity for elementary particles

Synchronic and diachronic identity for elementary particles

Leibniz’s Principle, (Non-)Entanglement, and Pauli Exclusion

Entanglement and discernibility of identical particles

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