Quantum Cybernetics: Toward a Unification of Relativity and Quantum Theory Via Circularly Causal Modeling

ISBN-13: 9781461270836 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 153 str.

Gerhard Grossing

Opis

Written for non-specialists, this book discusses the apparent conflict between relativity and quantum mechanics. The author proposes a resolution based on a causal interpretation introduced by Louis deBroglie and elaborated by David Bohm. He shows that a "medium" or "aether" may be introduced in a manner consistent with both relativity and quantum theory, and which allows the two theories to be unified via the identification of circularly causal processes at their core. While several crucial experiments are discussed in detail, the mathematics is kept simple, making the discussion accessible to a wide audience.

Spis treści

Introduction: The Return of the Aether.- 1 Quantum Theory and the Special Theory of Relativity.- 1.1 Compatibility of Nonlocal Correlations with the Principle of Relativity.- 1.1.1 Introduction.- 1.1.2 Consequences from the Principle of Relativity.- 1.1.3 Assuming the Existence of an Aether, Born’s Rule and Nonlocal Correlations Follow from the Principle of Relativity.- 1.2 The de Broglie-Bohm Causal Interpretation of Quantum Theory.- 1.2.1 Quantum Potential and Guiding Wave.- 1.2.2 Applications: Wave Packets and the “Particle in the Box”.- 1.2.3 Many-Body Systems and Relativistic Formulations.- 2 Quantum Cybernetics.- 2.1 The Idea.- 2.1.1 Circular Causality between Waves and “Particles”.- 2.1.2 Quantum Systems as Self-Referential, “Autonomous” Units.- 2.2 The Formalism.- 2.2.1 Against Rash Abstractions.- 2.2.2 Relativistic Quantum Cybernetics.- 2.2.3 de Broglie’s Thermodynamic Arguments.- 2.2.4 Feynman’s Clocks and Arrows: A Lesson in Organizational Coherence.- 2.2.5 Quantum Feedback and Open Questions.- 3 Experiments.- 3.1 Quantum Postselection Experiments and the Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser.- 3.2 Late-Choice Experiments.- 3.3 Realistic Solution of the “Relativistic EPR-Dilemma”.- 3.4 Superluminal Signaling and “Causal Paradoxes”.- 4 Gravity as a Pure Quantum Phenomenon: Mach’s Principle Revisited.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 A Generalized Principle of Relativity.- 4.3 Derivation of Einstein’s Equations for the Gravitational Field.- 4.4 Conclusion: Quantum Cybernetics and Mach’s Principle.- 5 Implications of Circular Causality at the Quantum Level.- 5.1 The Historical Context.- 5.2 Future Perspectives.- Coda: On the Meaning of Nonlocality.- References.