Allori, Valia and Goldstein, Sheldon and Tumulka, Roderich and Zanghi, Nino (2011) Many-Worlds and Schrodinger’s First Quantum Theory. [Published Article]
Abstract
Schrodinger’s first proposal for the interpretation of quantum mechanics was based on a postulate relating the wave function on configuration space to charge density in physical space. Schrodinger apparently later thought that his proposal was empirically wrong. We argue here that this is not the case, at least for a very similar proposal with charge density replaced by mass density. We argue that when analyzed carefully this theory is seen to be an empirically adequate many-worlds theory and not an empirically inadequate theory describing a single world. Moreover, this formulation—Schrodinger’s first quantum theory—can be regarded as a formulation of the many-worlds view of quantum mechanics that is ontologically clearer than Everett’s.
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