PSILOGO

Laboratory for Particle Physics (LTP)


LTP Colloquium

Demystifying Quantum Mechanics: The "ETH Approach"

Thursday, March 21, 2019, 16:00
WHGA Auditorium

Jürg Fröhlich, ETHZ

Abstract:
New Foundations of Quantum Mechanics are proposed: the "ETH-Approach to Quantum Mechanics" where "E" stands for Events, "T" for Trees, and "H" for Histories. This approach enables us to introduce a precise notion of "events" into Quantum Mechanics (c.f. Haag), explain what it means to observe an event by recording the value of an appropriate physical quantity, and to exhibit the stochastic dynamics of states of isolated open systems featuring events. It adds to the standard formulation of the theory two simple, but fundamental hypotheses concerning the emergence of "events" and their effect on the evolution of states of such systems.

The "ETH-Approach to QM" results in a "Quantum Theory without observers". It does away with "extensions of Quantum Mechanics", all of which have remained unacceptably vague.