Multi-field as a determinable

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the multi-field in quantum mechanics is a determinable, a physically indeterminate entity that assigns indeterminate values to empty points until particles are located there.

Contribution

It introduces a novel interpretation of the wave function as a multi-field that is a determinable, providing a metaphysical account of quantum indeterminacy.

Findings

The multi-field assigns indeterminate values to empty points in space.

It offers a metaphysical framework for understanding quantum indeterminacy.

The interpretation aligns the multi-field with a determinable in metaphysics.

Abstract

The paper advances the hypothesis that the multi-field is a determinable, that is, a physical object characterized by indeterminate values with respect to some properties. The multi-field is a realist interpretation of the wave function in quantum mechanics, specifically it interprets the wave function as a new physical entity in 3D space: a multi-field (Hubert & Romano 2018; Romano 2021). The multi-field is similar to a field as it assigns determinate values to N-tuples of points, but is also different from a field as it does not assign pre-existing values at each point of 3D space. In particular, the multi-field values corresponding to the empty points (points where no particles are located) have indeterminate values until a particle is located at those points. The paper suggests that the multi-field so defined can be precisely characterized in terms of determinable-based, object-level, account of metaphysical indeterminacy. Under this view, the multi-field as novel physical entity is, in fact, a metaphysically indeterminate quantum object, that is, a determinable.