Questions tagged [bohmian-mechanics]

127 questions
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How could quantum effects occur in the early universe without an observer?

In inflationary cosmology, primordial quantum fluctuations in the process of inflation are considered responsible for the asymmetry and lumpiness of the universe that was shaped. However, according to the Copenhagen interpretation, any random…
36
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7 answers

Why do people still talk about bohmian mechanics/hidden variables

I was reading the Feynman lectures in physics and after thinking about it for a while it seems particularly unreasonable to talk about hidden variables. Let us say that the electron has some internal variables as yet unknown which determine its…
26
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4 answers

Why would Pilot-Wave be wrong?

If this question has already been asked or is super basic, apologies. I'm a physics novice and this is my first question on this side of the site. In classical physics, waves and particles are mutually exclusive, but in quantum theory subatomic…
22
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8 answers

Flaws of Broglie–Bohm pilot wave theory?

I recently learned about an oil drop experiment that showed how a classical object can produce quantum like behavior because its assisted by a pilot wave. How has this not gained more attention? What flaws does Broglie–Bohm pilot wave theory have in…
16
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4 answers

Is Bohmian mechanics really incompatible with relativity?

This is something I've been wondering about. For those who don't know, Bohmian mechanics is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that is in the class of what are known as "hidden variable theories", which are theories that posit the probabilistic…
15
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3 answers

Couder-Fort Oil Bath Experiments and Quantum Entanglement Phenomena

The oil bath experiments of Couder and Fort have been able to reproduce various "pilot wave like" quantum behavior on a macroscopic scale. Particularly striking is the fact that the double-slit interference behavior could be reproduced. Immediately…
11
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2 answers

Shor's algorithm and Bohmian Mechanics

Do quantum computer's tell us anything about the foundations of quantum theory? In particular Shor argued in the famous thread by 't Hooft Why do people categorically dismiss some simple quantum models? that quantum computation was at odds with 't…
10
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2 answers

What is wrong with the De Broglie–Bohm theory a.k.a "Causal Interpretation" of quantum theory?

Possible Duplicate: Why do people still talk about bohmian mechanics/hidden variables I've heard of De Broglie–Bohm theory a.k.a causal interpretation of quantum theory. The predictions match accurately with with the nondeterministic quantum…
10
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2 answers

Quasiparticles in Bohmian mechanics

My questions are about de Broglie-Bohm "pilot wave" interpretation of quantum mechanics (a.k.a. Bohmian mechanics). Do quasiparticles have any meaning in Bohmian mechanics, or not? Specifically, is it possible to trace the motion of a quasiparticle…
10
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5 answers

In the oil droplet experiments that suggest de Broglie’s pilot wave theory might be accurate, what does the fluid surface correspond to?

As a particle travels to a screen, it is traveling through 3-dimensional space. In the oil droplet experiment, there are only two dimensions of any importance—the droplet merely moves along the surface of a wavey fluid. It seems like a 3-dimensional…
9
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3 answers

Bohmian loophole in PBR-like theorems

I'm reviving and expanding this question, because of the new paper today, by Aaronson et al. The more general question is: How does quantum-potential Bohmian mechanics relate to no-go theorems for psi-epistemic theories? According to Bohmian…
9
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3 answers

Does Dirac's argument against classical mechanics stand in contradiction to Bohm's theory?

In his book on Quantum Mechanics, P.A.M. Dirac talks about the stability of the atom as a means of demonstrating the need for quantum mechanics. He writes: The necessity for a departure from classical mechanics is clearly shown by experimental…
8
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3 answers

Is Pilot Wave Theory contextual? How?

The Kochen Specker theorem says that hidden variable theories must be contextual. I'm not seeing anything in the definition of Bohmian mechanics that makes the hidden variable variable assignments dependent on the measurements. Bohmian mechanics…
8
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2 answers

What are the similarities/differences between the behaviors of Quantum particles and bouncing droplets?

Bouncing droplets on a fluid surface show many weird behaviors of the quantum world. Look at this for example: https://arxiv.org/abs/1307.6920 They can show tunneling, double-slit interference patterns, and even particle-antiparticle creation (when…
7
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3 answers

What is a 'wavicle?'

What is a wavicle? I learned in electronics class that electrons are little particles. In physics they even say that the electron orbits the nucleus thus exhibiting angular momentum. But in chemistry they were little electron clouds. And physics…
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