Ovidiu Cristinel, Stoica (2023) The prince and the pauper. A quantum paradox of Hilbert-space fundamentalism. [Preprint]

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Abstract

I prove the existence of infinitely many physically distinct worlds represented by the same state vector and evolving according to the same law. This gives a constructive refutation of "Hilbert-space fundamentalism", the hypothesis that from the abstract state vector and the Hamiltonian all features of the physical world emerge uniquely, including space, all physical objects and their properties, and the decomposition into subsystems (Carroll, arXiv:2103.09780). This thesis was previously refuted in (arXiv:2102.08620) in full generality, but the proof was mathematically very abstract, while the present constructive proof is, hopefully, easily accessible to the down-to-earth intuition of the working physicists and philosophers of physics.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Ovidiu Cristinel, Stoica holotronix@gmail.com 0000-0002-2765-1562
Keywords:	Hilbert-space fundamentalism; quantum-first approaches; preferred basis problem; no-go theorem
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism General Issues > Reductionism/Holism General Issues > Structure of Theories Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	Ovidiu Cristinel Stoica
Date Deposited:	26 Oct 2023 02:37
Last Modified:	26 Oct 2023 02:37
Item ID:	22688
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism General Issues > Reductionism/Holism General Issues > Structure of Theories Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	23 October 2023
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/22688

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• The prince and the pauper. A quantum paradox of Hilbert-space fundamentalism. (deposited 26 Oct 2023 02:37) [Currently Displayed]
  • The prince and the pauper. A quantum paradox of Hilbert-space fundamentalism. (deposited 29 Oct 2023 02:02)

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