Quantum Mechanics: Myths and Facts
Abstract
A common understanding of quantum mechanics (QM) among students and practical users is often plagued by a number of “myths”, that is, widely accepted claims on which there is not really a general consensus among experts in foundations of QM. These myths include wave-particle duality, time-energy uncertainty relation, fundamental randomness, the absence of measurement-independent reality, locality of QM, nonlocality of QM, the existence of well-defined relativistic QM, the claims that quantum field theory (QFT) solves the problems of relativistic QM or that QFT is a theory of particles, as well as myths on black-hole entropy. The fact is that the existence of various theoretical and interpretational ambiguities underlying these myths does not yet allow us to accept them as proven facts. I review the main arguments and counterarguments lying behind these myths and conclude that QM is still a not-yet-completely-understood theory open to further fundamental research.
- Publication:
-
Foundations of Physics
- Pub Date:
- November 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s10701-007-9176-y
- arXiv:
- arXiv:quant-ph/0609163
- Bibcode:
- 2007FoPh...37.1563N
- Keywords:
-
- Quantum mechanics;
- Particle;
- Field;
- Reality;
- Nonlocality;
- Uncertainty relation;
- Randomness;
- Black-hole entropy;
- Quantum Physics;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- High Energy Physics - Theory;
- Physics - Physics Education
- E-Print:
- 51 pages, pedagogic review, revised, new references, to appear in Found. Phys