Particle Creation and Annihilation: Two Bohmian Approaches

Auteurs

  • Andrea Oldofredi University of Lausanne

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.20416/lsrsps.v5i1.11

Résumé

This paper reviews and discusses two extensions of Bohmian Mechanics to the phenomena of particle creation and annihilation typically observed in Quantum Field Theory (QFT): the so-called Bell-type Quantum Field Theory and the Dirac Sea representation. These theories have a secure metaphysical basis as they postulate a particle ontology while satisfying the requirements imposed by the Primitive Ontology approach to quantum physics. Furthermore, their methodological perspective intentionally provides a set of rules to immunize physical theories to the conceptual and technical problems plaguing the standard formulation of Quantum Mechanics and QFT. A metaphysical analysis of both theories will be given, emphasizing the relevant features of each proposal. Finally, it will be acknowledged that, despite the metaphysical virtues and niceties of these frameworks, ultimately they do not provide definitive answers to other cogent foundational issues in QFT. Thus, these theories (as well as the other Bohmian extensions to QFT) should be considered as partial solutions to the problems raised by the quantum theory of fields. This situation can be considered incentive for further research.

Références

ALLORI, Valia, GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, TUMULKA, Roderich, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2008. On the common structure of Bohmian mechanics and the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber theory. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 59(3), 353–389.
ALLORI, Valia, GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, TUMULKA, Roderich, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2014. Predictions and primitive ontology in quantum foundations: a study of examples. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 65(2), 323–352.
BARRETT, Jeffrey A. 2014. Entanglement and disentanglement in relativistic quantum mechanics. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 48, 168–174.
BELL, John Stewart. 1975. The theory of local beables. TH 2053-CERN.
BELL, John Stewart. 1986. Beables for quantum field theory. Physics Reports, 137, 49–54.
BELL, John Stewart. 1987. Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
COLIN, Samuel, STRUYVE, Ward. 2007. A Dirac sea pilot-wave model for quantum field theory. Journal of Physics A, 40(26), 7309–7341.
DECKERT, Dirk-Andre, ESFELD, Michael, OLDOFREDI, Andrea. 2016 (forthcoming). A persistent particle ontology in terms of the Dirac sea. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
DÜRR, Detlef, GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, NORSEN, Travis, STRUYVE, Ward, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2013a. Can Bohmian mechanics be made relativistic? Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 470, 20130699.
DÜRR, Detlef, GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, TUMULKA, Roderich, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2004a. Bohmian mechanics and quantum field theory. Physical Review Letters, 93, 090402.
DÜRR, Detlef, GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, TUMULKA, Roderich, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2005. Bell-type quantum field theories. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, 38(4), R1–R43.
DÜRR, Detlef, GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2004b. Quantum equilibrium and the role of operators as observables in quantum theory. Journal of Statistical Physics, 116, 959–1055.
DÜRR, Detlef, GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2013b. Quantum physics without quantum philosophy. Berlin : Springer.
EARMAN, John, FRASER, Doreen. 2006. Haag’s theorem and its implications for the foundations of quantum field theory. Erkenntnis, 64, 305–344.
EGG, Matthias, LAM, Vincent, OLDOFREDI, Andrea. 2017. Particles, cutoffs and inequivalent representations: Fraser and Wallace on quantum field theory. Foundations of Physics, 47(3), 453–466.
ESFELD, Michael. 2014. The primitive ontology of quantum physics: guidelines for an assessment of the proposals. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 47, 99–106.
ESFELD, Michael, DECKERT, Dirk-Andre. 2017. A minimalist Ontology of the Natural World. Routledge.
ESFELD, Michael, LAZAROVICI, Dustin, LAM, Vincent, HUBERT, Mario. 2017. The physics and metaphysics of primitive stuff. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 68, 133–161.
GISIN, Nicolas. 2011. Impossibility of covariant deterministic nonlocal hidden variable extensions of quantum theory. Physical Review A, 83, 020102(R).
GOLDSTEIN, Sheldon, TAYLOR, James, TUMULKA, Roderich, ZANGHÌ, Nino. 2005. Are all particles identical? Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, 38(7), 1567–1576.
HALVORSON, Hans, CLIFTON, Rob K. 2002. No place for particles in relativistic quantum theories? Philosophy of Science, 69, 1–28.
KUHLMANN, Meinard. 2010. The ultimate constituents of the material world. In search of an ontology for fundamental physics. Frankfurt (Main) : Ontos.
LAM, Vincent. 2015. Primitive ontology and quantum field theory. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 5, 387–397.
LANDSMAN, Klaas. 2017. Foundations of Quantum Theory. From Classical Concepts to Operator Algebras. Springer International Publishing.
MALAMENT, David. 1996. Perspectives on Quantum Reality. In defense of dogma: Why there cannot be a relativistic quantum mechanics of (localizable) particles. Dordrecht : Kluwer.
NIKOLIĆ, Hrvoje. 2010. QFT as pilot-wave theory of particle creation and destruction. International Journal of Modern Physics A, 25(7), 1477–1505.
OLDOFREDI, Andrea. 2018. Stochasticity and Bell-type quantum field theory. Synthese, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-018-1720-0
STRUYVE, Ward. 2010. Pilot-wave approaches to quantum field theory. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 306, 012047.
SUPPES, Patrick. 1993. The trascendental character of determinism. Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 18, 242–257.
WALLACE, David. 2006. In defence of naiveté: The conceptual status of Lagrangian quantum field theory. Synthese, 151, 33–80.
WALLACE, David. 2011. Taking particle physics seriously: a critique of the algebraic approach to quantum field theory. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 42(2), 116–125.
WERNDL, Charlotte. 2013. On choosing between deterministic and indeterministic models: Underdetermination and indirect evidence. Synthese, 190(2), 2243–2265.

Téléchargements

Publiée

2018-09-27

Comment citer

Oldofredi, Andrea. 2018. « Particle Creation and Annihilation: Two Bohmian Approaches ». Lato Sensu: Revue De La Société De Philosophie Des Sciences 5 (1):77-85. https://doi.org/10.20416/lsrsps.v5i1.11.