Abstract
Recently doubts have been raised about the ability of pilot wave theories with field ontology to recover the predictions of quantum field theory. In particular, Struyve has questioned that the overlap between wave functionals of macroscopically different states with fixed particle number is really non-significant.
With numerical computations and some further plausibility arguments we show that the overlap between n-particle states in field theory decreases almost exponentially with the number of particles and becomes non-significant already for small particle numbers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Lapiedra, R.: The fail of determinism and the limits of Bohm hidden variable theory. arXiv:0903.4339
Schmelzer, I.: A condensed matter interpretation of SM fermions and gauge fields. Found. Phys. 39(1), 73 (2009). arXiv:0908.0591
Schmelzer, I.: About the connection between pilot wave beables and decoherence. arXiv:0907.5284 (2009)
Streater, R.F.: Lost Causes in and Beyond Physics. Springer, Berlin (2007). See also http://www.mth.kcl.ac.uk/~streater/lostcauses.html
Struyve, W.: Field beables for quantum field theory. arXiv:0707.3685 (2007)
Wallace, D.: The quantum measurement problem: state of play. arXiv:0712.0149 (2007). Forthcoming in Rickles (ed.) The Ashgate Companion to the New Philosophy of Physics
Zirpel, M.: Bohmian particle trajectories contradict quantum mechanics. arXiv:0903.3878
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schmelzer, I. Overlaps in Pilot Wave Field Theories. Found Phys 40, 289–300 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-009-9394-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-009-9394-6