Quantum dilemma: We have too many options for explaining reality

No quantum idea too strange to consider at physics meeting

By Michael Brooks
IT S time to put all the quantum cards on the table. That s the view of a group of p
hysicists who assembled in Vienna last month to present a variety of ideas, resu
lts and plans for future experiments that might help find an explanation for the
weirdness of quantum theory.
Quantum physics is well known for being weird. The theory and the experiments th
at have confirmed it rip gaping holes in our concept of space, time and reality.
Most physicists simply accept this as the way things are. But most of the 70 or
so researchers who gathered in Austria at the Vienna symposium on Emergent Quant
um Mechanics from 23 to 25 October were there to go deeper, and ask where the qua
ntum laws might come from. Is quantum physics a stepping stone to a deeper under
standing of reality?
There are many people who think they are well along the path to a better understa
nding, but they all contradict each other, says Aephraim Steinberg of the Univers
ity of Toronto, Canada. So maybe one of them is right but I certainly don t know wh
ich one.
Many people think they are along the path to better understanding, but they all c
ontradict each other
Steinberg presented experiments that attempt to show the paths photons take as t
hey appear to pass simultaneously through two slits. This is because of quantum
superposition a trick in which the photon seem to be in two different states at
once. The most widely accepted interpretation of quantum theory claims that this
is possible because the photons only have definite properties once they have be
en detected. Before that, there is only a mathematical wave function describing
possible outcomes of the measurement.
But Steinberg prefers to interpret the experiment in terms of so-called Bohmian
mechanics, which suggests that there are pre-existing connections between all qu
antum particles. Each particle has an associated pilot wave that guides its positi
on and momentum, so it takes a particular trajectory through the double slits. Th
ese are very straightforward experiments that draw a connection between that mod
el and what happens in the real world, he says.
Many find Bohmian mechanics unsatisfactory. But discussions at the meeting made
it clear that the same can be said of most interpretations and it was.
Lev Vaidman of Tel Aviv University in Israel, for instance, told the gathering t
hat they were on a wild goose chase. There is no reason to go deeper, he said.
However, Vaidman has his own favourite theory: he is a fervent advocate of the M
any Worlds interpretation. This suggests that each quantum event such as a photo
n forced to choose between two slits is a trigger for a new universe to open up.
The photon goes through one slit in one universe, and the other slit in the oth
er. He says that is the only way to explain why measurement appears to collapse a
superposition of states.
Markus Arndt of the University of Vienna is investigating that same problem by p
utting ever bigger and more complex molecules, including vitamins, into superpos
itions. He suggests that as the molecules become more complex, their internal co
nfigurations may change when they collapse, giving us an insight into what lies
behind it.
Nobel laureate Gerard t Hooft thinks things are simpler than that. I don t have to g
o through all the gymnastics, he said. He has developed an interpretation called
superdeterminism, which suggests that the physical world has hidden connections
that formed during the processes that created its particles and fields, as oppos
ed to simply existing. These connections lie behind the weird phenomena and the
apparent randomness of quantum effects.
No quantum idea too strange to consider at physics meeting
Did the meeting get us anywhere? t Hooft thinks so, but selfishly. It allows me to
explain my vision to people, he says. I m becoming more and more convinced that I m r
ight.
More altruistically, Howard Wiseman of Griffith University in Brisbane, Australi
a, points out that keeping all the possible interpretations in mind helps seed n
ew ideas. It s all part of the scientific discussion, he says. It makes a difference
to the sorts of experiments you think about doing.
Meeting organiser Jan Walleczek of Phenoscience Laboratories, an independent res
earch organisation based in Berlin, Germany, agrees. I believe the meeting was hi
ghly effective in drawing attention again to neglected possibilities, he says. We
believe that a new chapter in quantum foundations research has opened up.
(Images: Russell Kightley/SPL, Hans Schubert)
This article appeared in print under the headline Don t discard any quantum options