PIRSA:12070006

Outreach: ISSYP 2012

Spekkens, R. (2012). Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/12070006

Spekkens, Robert. Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. Perimeter Institute, Jul. 25, 2012, https://pirsa.org/12070006 

@misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:12070006,
  doi = {},
  url = {https://pirsa.org/12070006},
  author = {Spekkens, Robert},
  keywords = {},
  language = {en},
  title = {Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics},
  publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
  year = {2012},
  month = {jul},
  note = {PIRSA:12070006 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
}

Abstract

Just as there is a
difference between knowing how to *drive* a car and understanding its
functioning well enough to fix it when it breaks down, so too is there a
difference between knowing how to *use* quantum theory to make
predictions and understanding what it says about the world well enough to see
how it might fail or how it might be usefully generalized. The field of quantum
foundations seeks to achieve such a deeper understanding. In particular, it
seeks to determine the correct interpretation of quantum theory and to find the
principles underlying it, questions for which there is still no consensus among
researchers.  In this talk, I’ll discuss some of the interpretational
problems of quantum theory and several of the most prominent proposals for how
to overcome these problems.  The list includes introducing hidden
variables that we must necessarily remain uncertain of, changing the rules of
logic, and positing the existence of an infinite number of parallel worlds.

Resources

Next talk