Lewis, Peter J. (2015) In search of local beables. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The call to supplement the quantum wave function with local beables is almost as old as quantum mechanics. But what exactly is the problem with the wave function as the representation of a quantum system? I canvass three potential problems with the wave function: the well-known problems of incompleteness and dimensionality, and the lesser known problem of non-locality introduced recently by Myrvold. Building on Myrvold's insight, I show that the standard ways of introducing local beables into quantum mechanics are unsuccessful. I consider whether we really need local beables, and assess the prospects for a new theory of local beables.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Lewis, Peter J. plewis@miami.edu
Keywords:	Wave function, locality, hidden variables, spontaneous collapse, many worlds, retrocausation, configuration space, Humean supervenience
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User:	Peter J. Lewis
Date Deposited:	16 Sep 2015 13:09
Last Modified:	16 Sep 2015 13:09
Item ID:	11679
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date:	14 September 2015
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/11679

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