Lam, Vincent (2015) Primitive ontology and quantum field theory. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Primitive ontology is a recently much discussed approach to the ontology of quantum theory according to which the theory is ultimately about entities in 3-dimensional space and their temporal evolution. This paper critically discusses the primitive ontologies that have been suggested within the Bohmian approach to quantum field theory in the light of the existence of unitarily inequivalent representations. These primitive ontologies rely either on a Fock space representation or a wave functional representation, which are strictly speaking unambiguously available only for free systems in flat spacetime. As a consequence, it is argued that they do not constitute fundamental ontologies for quantum field theory, in contrast to the case of the Bohmian approach to quantum mechanics.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Lam, Vincent vincent.lam@unil.ch
Keywords:	Primitive ontology, quantum field theory, local beables, particles, fields, Fock space, unitarily inequivalent representations
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User:	Vincent Lam
Date Deposited:	09 Mar 2015 19:48
Last Modified:	09 Mar 2015 19:48
Item ID:	11366
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date:	9 March 2015
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/11366

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