Causal Wave Mechanics and the Advent of Complexity. I. Dynamic multivaluedness

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new paradigm called dynamic multivaluedness to resolve fundamental issues in quantum mechanics, such as wave reduction and quantum chaos, providing a causally complete understanding of wave-particle duality and indeterminacy.

Contribution

It develops a universal concept of dynamic complexity and a method for revealing multivaluedness in quantum interactions, unifying chaos, wave reduction, and quantum indeterminacy.

Findings

Elimination of non-causal deviations in quantum mechanics.

Introduction of the effective dynamical functions method.

Causal explanation of wave reduction and quantum chaos.

Abstract

Two major deviations from causality in the existing formulations of quantum mechanics, related respectively to quantum chaos and indeterminate wave reduction, are eliminated within the new, universal concept of dynamic complexity. The analysis involves a new paradigm for description of a system with interaction, the principle of dynamic multivaluedness (redundance), and the ensuing concept of the fundamental dynamic uncertainty. It is shown that both the wave reduction and truly unpredictable (chaotic) behaviour in quantum systems can be completely and causally understood as a higher sublevel of the same dynamic complexity that provides the causally complete picture of the unified wave-particle duality and relativity at its lowest level (quant-ph/9902015,16). The presentation is divided into five parts. The first three parts deal with intrinsic randomness in Hamiltonian (isolated) quantum systems as the basic case of dynamical chaos. In the last two parts a causal solution to the problem of quantum indeterminacy and wave reduction is proposed. Part I introduces the method of effective dynamical functions as a generalisation of the optical potential formalism. The method provides a legal transformation of the Schroedinger equation revealing the hidden multivaluedness of interaction process, i. e. its self-consistent, dynamical splitting into many equally real, but mutually incompatible branches, called 'realisations'. Each realisation incorporates the usual "complete" set of eigenfunctions and eigenvalues for the entire problem. The method is presented in detail for the Hamiltonian system with periodic (not small) perturbation, both in its time-independent and time-dependent versions.