A persistent particle ontology for QFT in terms of the Dirac sea

TL;DR

This paper proposes a Bohmian particle ontology for quantum field theory using the Dirac sea model, providing a deterministic, particle-based interpretation that addresses measurement and particle creation/annihilation.

Contribution

It extends Bohmian mechanics to QFT via the Dirac sea, offering a particle ontology that reproduces standard QFT dynamics and explains creation and annihilation events.

Findings

Demonstrates equivalence between Bohmian particle trajectories and standard QFT formalism.

Provides a deterministic, particle-based interpretation of QFT.

Addresses the measurement problem within the Bohmian framework.

Abstract

We show that the Bohmian approach in terms of persisting particles that move on continuous trajectories following a deterministic law can be literally applied to QFT. By means of the Dirac sea model -- exemplified in the electron sector of the standard model neglecting radiation -- we explain how starting from persisting particles, one is led to standard QFT employing creation and annihilation operators when tracking the dynamics with respect to a reference state, the so-called vacuum. Since on the level of wave functions, both formalisms are mathematically equivalent, this proposal provides for an ontology of QFT that includes a dynamics of individual processes, solves the measurement problem and explains the appearance of creation and annihilation events.