Is Quantum Mechanics Incomplete? It Is a Statistical Theory

“Dirac, to whom, in my opinion, we owe the most perfect exposition, logically, of this [quantum] theory, rightly points out that it would probably be difficult, for example, to give a theoretical description of a photon such as would give enough information to enable one to decide whether it will pass a polarizer placed (obliquely) in its way or not.” Maxwell’s Influence on the Evolution of the Idea of Physical Reality…1931, Ideas and Opinions, p.270

Four years later, in the infamous EPR paper, Einstein said quantum theory appears tp be “incomplete.” He believed that quantum theory, as good as it is (and he never saw anything better), is incomplete because its statistical predictions (phenomenally accurate in the limit of large numbers of identical experiments – “ensembles” Einstein called them), tell us nothing but “probabilities” about individual systems. Even worse, he saw that the wave functions of entangled two-particle systems predict faster-than-light correlations of properties between events in a space-like separation. He mistakenly thought this violated his theory of relativity. Although this was the heart of his famous EPR paradox paper in 1935, we shall see that Einstein was already concerned about faster-than-light transfer of energy and that he saw spherical light waves “collapsing” instantaneously in his very first paper on quantum theory.

In most general histories, and in the brief histories included in modern quantum mechanics textbooks, the problems raised by Einstein are usually presented as arising after the “founders” of quantum mechanics and their Copenhagen Interpretation in the late 1920’s. Modern attention to Einstein’s work on quantum physics often starts with the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paper of 1935, when the mysteries of nonlocality, nonseparability, and entanglement are first clearly understood by Einstein’s opponents. Physicists today think of quantum mechanics as beginning with the Heisenberg (particle) formulation and the Schrödinger (wave) formulation. The popular image of Einstein post-EPR is either in the role of critic trying to expose fundamental flaws in the “new” quantum mechanics or as an old man who simply didn’t understand the new quantum theory. Both these images of Einstein are seriously flawed, as we shall see.

Many histories of quantum theory, most starting from the Copenhagen perspective of Bohr, Heisenberg, Born, Jordan, and Pauli, focus on Einstein’s failed attempts in debates with Bohr to challenge the uncertainty principle. EPR is described as failing to show that quantum mechanics is “incomplete.” This is a verbal quibble. Quantum mechanics is indeed incomplete in that it cannot predict simultaneously the position and momentum of a particle, nor the “real” path of a particle between measurements. Most important, QM is only a statistical theory, as Einstein maintained. Its results are only confirmed by large numbers of identical experiments. Continuous matter and radiation only appear when we average over large numbers of discrete particles.

Few histories point out that it was Einstein who over three decades invented (or discovered) nonlocality and entanglement, as well as the ontological chance in quantum mechanics that is the real basis of acausality that Heisenberg thought he saw in his uncertainty principle.

[faraazshaikh]

Right it is incomplete einstein never said that it was wrong. Ironically he contributed to it by using photon as a particle. And even his Bose einstein statistics which bosins the smallest particle known follow

[voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang]

Just 'cuz your left brain needs to measure a signal using a linear operator does not mean you can't hear faster than Fourier Uncertainty. Quantum coherence is real, and the ether noncommutative pilot wave source of light.

[voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang]

Just saying you should be linking to your website in your description and where's the link to your Dirac 1st chapter? thanks. I'll look for it on your website. The problem with Dirac is he realized that Heisenberg Uncertainty was from noncommutative math that he had read first in Whittaker but then he realized that Poisson Bracket was the conversion of the noncommutative to commutative symmetric math. And so then Dirac stayed focused on the symmetric math, not realizing that quantum is actually self-amplifying into the macroquantum realm, via quantum biological coherence. De Broglie had figured this out, as the pilot wave is being rediscovered - and so quantum biology is too complex to be "reproduced" through "standardized" replication experiments and technology. Quantum biology is the highest technology of all technologies, via noncommutative math. The original human culture knew this, from music theory that is noncommutative, and the secret origin of the Western symmetric math, based on a lie about the music theory, as a negative judgment paradox (Luigi Borzacchini). So Dirac got misdirected with his symmetric math obsession whereas the electroweak force, being left-handed is the reason life is based on left-handed amino acids, as B.G. Sidharth points out. So then WEstern symmetric math has destroyed ecology on Earth faster than any previous mass extinction of species in the billions of years of life on Earth.

[planksip]

You need to predict or show the relevant math for the oscillation of electrons and then tie this to gravity so that the EPR paradox becomes untangled! Nothing goes faster than the speed of light. Yes. Need to explain nonlocality, nonseparability and entanglement within a field theory for gravity or T.O.E. No mystery here, yet mystery is everywhere. Sound familiar?

[voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang]

3 people have more wealth than 50% of the U.S. population. 1% of the U.S. has more wealth than 90% of the U.s. population. And use dare to use the term "everyday laborers."? The U.S. has the highest prison population in the world. Automation is the number 1 cause of job loss.

[voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang]

how come you talk about biology but not the ecological crisis, caused by left-brain dominance? Biophotons are emitted by the eyes. The relativistic mass of light is reverse time energy-information from noncommutative phase. As B.G. Sidharth states, light has mass due to noncommutative spacetime. This is the secret of the pilot wave as well. Electroweak force is the reason left-hand amino acids are for life with right-brain dominance. NOncommutative time-frequency energy is nonlocal through noncommutative phase as the 5th dimension, virtual micro-black holes, creating 4D spacetime.

[voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang]

O.K. again you seem to confuse left-brain observation or measurement with the misplaced claim that it is necessary for the collapse of the wavefunction, whereas as Penrose correctly understands that gravity self-induces collapse - that proto-consciousness is not the same as left-brain consciousness.

[voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang]

information philosopher bob doyle dirac first chapter - searching this got me to your book, pdf download. Thanks. I will search it for dirac.