The role of von Neumann and L\"uders postulates in the EPR-Bohm-Bell considerations: Did EPR make a mistake?

TL;DR

This paper examines how the use of the von Neumann versus L"uders projection postulate influences the interpretation of quantum nonlocality in the EPR argument, suggesting that correct application of the original postulate removes nonlocality concerns.

Contribution

It clarifies the impact of the projection postulate choice on quantum nonlocality and argues that EPR's original mistake was in their interpretation of the postulate.

Findings

Using von Neumann postulate avoids quantum nonlocality

L"uders postulate introduces problematic nonlocality

Correct postulate application aligns with classical measurement nonlocality

Abstract

We show that the projection postulate plays a crucial role in the discussion on the so called "quantum nonlocality", in particular in the EPR-argument. We stress that the original von Neumann projection postulate was crucially modified by extending it to observables with degenerate spectra (the L\"uders postulate) and we show that this modification is highly questionable from a physical point of view, and it is the real source of "quantum nonlocality". The use of the original von Neumann postulate eliminates this problem: instead of "action at the distance"-nonlocality, we obtain a classical measurement nonlocality. It seems that EPR did mistake in their 1935-paper: if one uses correctly von Neumann projection postulate, no ``elements of reality'' can be assigned to entangled systems. Our analysis of the EPR and projection postulate makes clearer Bohr's considerations in his reply to Einstein.