Taking Mermin's Relational Interpretation of QM Beyond Cabello's and Seevinck's No-Go Theorems

TL;DR

This paper revisits Mermin's relational interpretation of quantum mechanics using the Logos Categorical Approach, proposing a new definition of quantum relations that avoids existing no-go theorems and discussing its physical implications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel ontological quantum relation framework that bypasses Cabello's and Seevinck's no-go theorems within the Logos Categorical Approach.

Findings

Redefinition of quantum relations as preexistent elements of reality

Derivation of a non-contextuality theorem supporting the new framework

Discussion on the physical meaning of quantum relationalism

Abstract

In this paper we address a deeply interesting debate that took place at the end of the last millennia between David Mermin, Adan Cabello and Michiel Seevinck, regarding the meaning of relationalism within quantum theory. In a series of papers, Mermin proposed an interpretation in which quantum correlations were considered as elements of physical reality. Unfortunately, the very young relational proposal by Mermin was too soon tackled by specially suited no-go theorems designed by Cabello and Seevinck. In this work we attempt to reconsider Mermin's program from the viewpoint of the Logos Categorical Approach to QM. Following Mermin's original proposal, we will provide a redefinition of quantum relation which not only can be understood as a preexistent element of physical reality but is also capable to escape Cabello's and Seevinck's no-go-theorems. In order to show explicitly that our notion of ontological quantum relation is safe from no-go theorems we will derive a non-contextuality theorem. We end the paper with a discussion regarding the physical meaning of quantum relationalism.