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10 - Experimental tests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2012

Lawrence S. Schulman
Affiliation:
Clarkson University, New York
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Summary

In Chapter 6 I presented a proposal for how and why grotesque states do not occur in Nature. In subsequent chapters I explored consequences and found subsidiary requirements, such as Cauchy distributed kicks. To find out whether all or part of our scheme is the way Nature works, we turn to experiment. How to turn to experiment is not so obvious, since the basic dynamical law, ψ → exp(−iHt/ħ)ψ, is the same as for most other theories. Our basic assertion concerns not the dynamical law but the selection of states. Therefore it is that assertion that must be tested. For example, one way is to set up a situation where the states we demand, the ‘special’ states, cannot occur. Then what happens? Another part of our theory is the probability postulate, and this deals not only with the existence of special states but with their abundance. It enters in the recovery of standard probabilities but has far reaching consequences that may well lead to the best tests of the theory. Such tests arise in the context of EPR situations.

The experimental tests fall into the following categories.

Precluding a class of special states. This should prevent a class of outcomes. If the changes in the system (due to precluding the class of special states) do not change the predictions of the Copenhagen interpretation, then this provides a test. In particular, with a class of special states precluded, our theory forbids the associated outcome.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1997

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  • Experimental tests
  • Lawrence S. Schulman, Clarkson University, New York
  • Book: Time's Arrows and Quantum Measurement
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622878.011
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  • Experimental tests
  • Lawrence S. Schulman, Clarkson University, New York
  • Book: Time's Arrows and Quantum Measurement
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622878.011
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Experimental tests
  • Lawrence S. Schulman, Clarkson University, New York
  • Book: Time's Arrows and Quantum Measurement
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622878.011
Available formats
×