Comment on 'Nonlocality, Counterfactuals and Quantum Mechanics'

Journal Article · Wed Apr 14 04:00:00 EDT 1999 · Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.60.2595· OSTI ID:773703

Stapp, H P ^[1]

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1. LBNL Library

A recent proof [H. P. Stapp, Am. J. Phys. 65, 300 (1997)], formulated in the symbolic language of modal logic, claims to show that contemporary quantum theory, viewed as a set of rules that allow us to calculate statistical predictions among certain kinds of observations, cannot be imbedded in any rational framework that conforms to the principles that (1) the experimenters' choices of which experiments they will perform can be considered to be free choices, (2) outcomes of measurements are unique, and (3) the free choices just mentioned have no backward-in-time effects of any kind. This claim is similar to Bell's theorem, but much stronger, because no reality assumption alien to quantum philosophy is used. The paper being commented on [W. Unruh, Phys. Rev. A 59, 126 (1999)] argues that some such reality assumption has been ''smuggled'' in. That argument is examined here and shown, I believe, to be defective.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Director, Office of Science (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 773703
• Report Number(s): LBNL--41813
• Journal Information: Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 60
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BELL THEOREM
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
QUANTUM MECHANICS