Quantum Mechanics and modelling of physical reality

TL;DR

This paper critiques mystical interpretations of quantum mechanics, advocates for probabilistic models, and discusses the ongoing challenges in understanding quantum reality and reconciling it with gravity and cosmology.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a simple probabilistic locally causal model can reproduce quantum correlations and advocates for a contextual statistical interpretation.

Findings

Probabilistic models can reproduce Bell test correlations

Quantum theory's completeness remains unproven

Open challenges include reconciling quantum mechanics with gravity

Abstract

Quantum mechanics led to spectacular technological developments, discovery of new constituents of matter and new materials. However there is still no consensus on its interpretation and limitations. Some scientists and scientific writers promote some exotic interpretations and evoke quantum magic. In this paper we point out that magical explanations mean the end of the science. Magical explanations are misleading and counterproductive. We explain how a simple probabilistic locally causal model is able to reproduce quantum correlations in Bell tests. We also discuss difficulties of mathematical modelling of the physical reality and dangers of incorrect mental images. We examine in detail when and how a probabilistic model may describe completely a random experiment. We give some arguments in favor of contextual statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics. We conclude that we still do not know whether the quantum theory provides a complete description of physical phenomena and we explain how it may be tested. We also point out that there remain several open questions and challenges which we discuss in some detail. In particular there is still no consensus about how to reconcile quantum theory with general relativity and cosmology.