The hidden measurement formalism: what can be explained and where quantum paradoxes remain

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hidden measurement formalism that explains quantum phenomena through effects of state change and lack of knowledge, revealing a continuum from quantum to classical structures and resolving key paradoxes.

Contribution

The paper develops a formalism incorporating measurement effects and a parameter 'epsilon' to interpolate between quantum, classical, and intermediate structures, offering new insights into quantum paradoxes.

Findings

Quantum structure arises from measurement effects and lack of knowledge.

A parameter 'epsilon' allows continuous transition from quantum to classical.

Quantum paradoxes are explained and partially resolved within this framework.

Abstract

In the hidden measurement formalism that we develop in Brussels we explain the quantum structure as due to the presence of two effects, (a) a real change of state of the system under influence of the measurement and, (b) a lack of knowledge about a deeper deterministic reality of the measurement process. We show that the presence of these two effects leads to the major part of the quantum mechanical structure of a theory where the measurements contain the two mentioned effects. We present a quantum machine, where we can illustrate in a simple way how the quantum structure arises as a consequence of the two effects. We introduce a parameter 'epsilon' that measures the amount of the lack of knowledge on the measurement process, and by varying this parameter, we describe a continuous evolution from a quantum structure (maximal lack of knowledge) to a classical structure (zero lack of knowledge). We show that for intermediate values of epsilon we find a new type of structure that is neither quantum nor classical. We analyze the quantum paradoxes and show that they can be divided into two groups: (1) The group (measurement problem and Schrodingers cat paradox) where the paradoxical aspects arise mainly from the application of standard quantum theory as a general theory (e.g. also describing the measurement apparatus). This type of paradox disappears in the hidden measurement formalism. (2) A second group collecting the paradoxes connected to the effect of non-locality (the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and the violation of Bell inequalities). We show that these paradoxes are internally resolved because the effect of non-locality turns out to be a fundamental property of the hidden measurement formalism itself.