Critical re-examination of a recent challenge to Bohmian mechanics

TL;DR

This paper re-examines a recent experiment, demonstrating that its data can be explained by both Bohmian and orthodox quantum mechanics, thus not conclusively favoring one interpretation over the other.

Contribution

It provides a reinterpretation of experimental data within Bohmian and Nelson's stochastic quantum mechanics, challenging claims against Bohmian mechanics.

Findings

Experimental data compatible with Bohmian quantum mechanics.

Data can be explained by Nelson's stochastic quantum mechanics.

The experiment does not conclusively challenge orthodox quantum mechanics.

Abstract

We re-analyze a recent experiment by Sharoglazova et al. highlighting the role of the transient regime. We prove that in the evanescent state of the stationary regime their experimental data can be interpreted in terms of Bohmian quantum mechanics. At the same time, Bohm's quantum potential can be re-interpreted as a kinetic-energy term in the framework of Nelson's stochastic quantum mechanics, with a hidden-variable, non-classical, speed fitting the experimental data as well. The experiment can be interpreted as well within orthodox quantum mechanics and is therefore not conclusive in selecting or challenging any framework.