U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information
Comment on 'Nonlocality, Counterfactuals and Quantum Mechanics'
Abstract
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.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Director, Office of Science (US)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 773703
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-41813
TRN: AH200106%%127
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 60; Journal Issue: 3; Other Information: PBD: 14 Apr 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; QUANTUM MECHANICS; BELL THEOREM; MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
Citation Formats
Stapp, H P. Comment on 'Nonlocality, Counterfactuals and Quantum Mechanics'. United States: N. p., 1999.
Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.60.2595.
Stapp, H P. Comment on 'Nonlocality, Counterfactuals and Quantum Mechanics'. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.60.2595
Stapp, H P. 1999.
"Comment on 'Nonlocality, Counterfactuals and Quantum Mechanics'". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.60.2595.
@article{osti_773703,
title = {Comment on 'Nonlocality, Counterfactuals and Quantum Mechanics'},
author = {Stapp, H P},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevA.60.2595},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/773703},
journal = {Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics},
number = 3,
volume = 60,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 1999},
month = {Wed Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 1999}
}
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