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Modal Interpretations and Consecutive Measurements

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EPSA11 Perspectives and Foundational Problems in Philosophy of Science

Abstract

The correlations between the outcomes of consecutive measurements are one of those issues so deeply entrenched in the quantum knowledge of physicists that, in many cases, they use them to test the acceptability of any proposal of interpretation of the theory. The aim of the present article is to show the serious obstacles that modal interpretations face when trying to adequately account for those correlations, and to argue that the difficulties can be overcome without giving up the main modal theses if partial traces are dropped but the measuring apparatuses are taken into account.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This was the reaction of Rodolfo Gambini when we explained him the basics of modal interpretations. We are grateful to him for the interesting discussion that followed.

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Correspondence to Olimpia Lombardi .

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Ardenghi, J.S., Lombardi, O., Narvaja, M. (2013). Modal Interpretations and Consecutive Measurements. In: Karakostas, V., Dieks, D. (eds) EPSA11 Perspectives and Foundational Problems in Philosophy of Science. The European Philosophy of Science Association Proceedings, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01306-0_17

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