A Snapshot of Foundational Attitudes Toward Quantum Mechanics

TL;DR

This paper presents a survey of 33 experts' opinions on foundational issues in quantum mechanics, revealing current debates, common views, and correlations among different perspectives in the field.

Contribution

It provides a unique snapshot of expert opinions on quantum foundations and analyzes the relationships between various views in the field.

Findings

Identification of commonly held views among experts.

Analysis of correlations between different opinions.

Snapshot of current debates in quantum foundations.

Abstract

Foundational investigations in quantum mechanics, both experimental and theoretical, gave birth to the field of quantum information science. Nevertheless, the foundations of quantum mechanics themselves remain hotly debated in the scientific community, and no consensus on essential questions has been reached. Here, we present the results of a poll carried out among 33 participants of a conference on the foundations of quantum mechanics. The participants completed a questionnaire containing 16 multiple-choice questions probing opinions on quantum-foundational issues. Participants included physicists, philosophers, and mathematicians. We describe our findings, identify commonly held views, and determine strong, medium, and weak correlations between the answers. Our study provides a unique snapshot of current views in the field of quantum foundations, as well as an analysis of the relationships between these views.