Discerning "indistinguishable" quantum systems
Abstract
In a series of recent papers, Simon Saunders, Fred Muller and Michael Seevinck have collectively argued, against the philosophy of quantum mechanics folklore, that some non-trivial version of Leibniz's principle of the identity of indiscernibles is upheld in quantum mechanics. They argue that all particles -- fermions, paraparticles, anyons, even bosons -- may be weakly discerned by some physical relation. Here I show that their arguments make illegitimate appeal to non-symmetric, i.e. permutation-non-invariant, quantities, and that therefore their conclusions do not go through. However, I show that alternative, symmetric quantities may be found to do the required work. I conclude that the Saunders-Muller-Seevinck heterodoxy can be saved after all.
- Publication:
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arXiv e-prints
- Pub Date:
- August 2014
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.1409.0249
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1409.0249
- Bibcode:
- 2014arXiv1409.0249C
- Keywords:
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- Quantum Physics
- E-Print:
- 27 pages. This is a pre-print of an article published in Philosophy of Science