Quantum Mechanics as a Theory of Systems with Limited Information Content

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:09080002,
            doi = {10.48660/09080002},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/09080002},
            author = {Brukner, {\v{C}}aslav},
            keywords = {Quantum Foundations},
            language = {en},
            title = {Quantum Mechanics as a Theory of Systems with Limited Information Content},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2009},
            month = {aug},
            note = {PIRSA:09080002 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }
          

Abstract

I will consider physical theories which describe systems with limited information content. This limit is not due observer's ignorance about some “hidden” properties of the system - the view that would have to be confronted with Bell's theorem - but is of fundamental nature. I will show how the mathematical structure of these theories can be reconstructed from a set of reasonable axioms about probabilities for measurement outcomes. Among others these include the “locality” assumption according to which the global state of a composite system is completely determined by correlations between local measurements. I will demonstrate that quantum mechanics is the only theory from the set in which composite systems can be in entangled (non-separable) states. Within Hardy's approach this feature allows to single out quantum theory from other probabilistic theories without a need to assume the “simplicity” axiom. 1. Borivoje Dakic, Caslav Brukner (in preparation) 2. Caslav Brukner, Anton Zeilinger, Information Invariance and Quantum Probabilities, arXiv:0905.0653 3. Tomasz Paterek, Borivoje Dakic, Caslav Brukner, Theories of systems with limited information content, arXiv:0804.1423