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Objectivity vs. Locality in Quantum Physics

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Abstract

An Objectivity Principle (O) and a Locality Principle (L) are considered with respect to two simple, but fundamental Gedanken experiments, namely a “Welcher-Weg” Gedanken experiment and an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) Gedanken experiment. It is shown that, if both principles (O) and (L) are assumed to be valid, a contradiction, in the EPR case Bell’s inequality, can be derived implying that at least one of the two principles (O) and (L) has to be denied. It is shown that, if (O) is denied, (L) is preserved in the EPR-Gedanken experiment. For a more adequate discussion, in particular of (L), the two experiments are described in Minkowskian space-time of special relativity.

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Correspondence to Ernst-Walther Stachow.

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This paper is dedicated to Peter Mittelstaedt to whom I owe may everlasting interest in the foundation of physics.

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Stachow, EW. Objectivity vs. Locality in Quantum Physics. Found Phys 40, 1450–1475 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-009-9393-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-009-9393-7

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