Why Interference Phenomena Do Not Capture The Essence Of Quantum Theory

Lorenzo Catani¹, Matthew Leifer², David Schmid³, and Robert W. Spekkens⁴

¹Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, Technische Universität Berlin, 10587 Berlin, Germany
²Institute for Quantum Studies and Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
³International Centre for Theory of Quantum Technologies, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
⁴Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2L 2Y5

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Abstract

Quantum interference phenomena are widely viewed as posing a challenge to the classical worldview. Feynman even went so far as to proclaim that they are the $textit{only mystery}$ and the $textit{basic peculiarity}$ of quantum mechanics. Many have also argued that basic interference phenomena force us to accept a number of radical interpretational conclusions, including: that a photon is neither a particle nor a wave but rather a Jekyll-and-Hyde sort of entity that toggles between the two possibilities, that reality is observer-dependent, and that systems either do not have properties prior to measurements or else have properties that are subject to nonlocal or backwards-in-time causal influences. In this work, we show that such conclusions are not, in fact, forced on us by basic interference phenomena. We do so by describing an alternative to quantum theory, a statistical theory of a classical discrete field (the `toy field theory’) that reproduces the relevant phenomenology of quantum interference while rejecting these radical interpretational claims. It also reproduces a number of related interference experiments that are thought to support these interpretational claims, such as the Elitzur-Vaidman bomb tester, Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment, and the quantum eraser experiment. The systems in the toy field theory are field modes, each of which possesses, at all times, $both$ a particle-like property (a discrete occupation number) and a wave-like property (a discrete phase). Although these two properties are jointly possessed, the theory stipulates that they cannot be jointly $known$. The phenomenology that is generally cited in favour of nonlocal or backwards-in-time $textit{causal influences}$ ends up being explained in terms of $inferences$ about distant or past systems, and all that is observer-dependent is the observer’s $knowledge$ of reality, not reality itself.

Featured image: The phenomenology of quantum interference that is traditionally regarded as problematic (TRAP).

Contributed talk by Lorenzo Catani at QIP 2023:

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Contributed talk by Robert Spekkens at the “Conference on Quantum Information and Quantum Control IX” — University of Toronto 2022:

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Invited talk by Lorenzo Catani at the “Physics and the first-person perspective” Essentia Foundation conference 2022 :

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Seminar by Lorenzo Catani at IQOQI Vienna 2022:

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Contributed talk by Lorenzo Catani at QPL 2022:

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► BibTeX data

@article{Catani2023whyinterference, doi = {10.22331/q-2023-09-25-1119}, url = {https://doi.org/10.22331/q-2023-09-25-1119}, title = {Why interference phenomena do not capture the essence of quantum theory}, author = {Catani, Lorenzo and Leifer, Matthew and Schmid, David and Spekkens, Robert W.}, journal = {{Quantum}}, issn = {2521-327X}, publisher = {{Verein zur F{“{o}}rderung des Open Access Publizierens in den Quantenwissenschaften}}, volume = {7}, pages = {1119}, month = sep, year = {2023}<br /> }

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Cited by

[1] Lorenzo Catani, Matthew Leifer, Giovanni Scala, David Schmid, and Robert W. Spekkens, “What is Nonclassical about Uncertainty Relations?”, Physical Review Letters 129 24, 240401 (2022).

[2] Ram Krishna Patra, Sahil Gopalkrishna Naik, Edwin Peter Lobo, Samrat Sen, Tamal Guha, Some Sankar Bhattacharya, Mir Alimuddin, and Manik Banik, “Classical analogue of quantum superdense coding and communication advantage of a single quantum”, arXiv:2202.06796, (2022).

[3] Vinicius P. Rossi, David Schmid, John H. Selby, and Ana Belén Sainz, “Contextuality with vanishing coherence and maximal robustness to dephasing”, Physical Review A 108 3, 032213 (2023).

[4] Lorenzo Catani, Matthew Leifer, David Schmid, and Robert W. Spekkens, “Reply to “Comment on ‘Why interference phenomena do not capture the essence of quantum theory’ “”, arXiv:2207.11791, (2022).

[5] Tim Palmer, “Quantum Physics from Number Theory”, arXiv:2209.05549, (2022).

[6] Jonte R. Hance and Sabine Hossenfelder, “Comment on “Why interference phenomena do not capture the essence of quantum theory” by Catani et al”, arXiv:2204.01768, (2022).

[7] Victor Gitton and Mischa P. Woods, “On the system loophole of generalized noncontextuality”, arXiv:2209.04469, (2022).

[8] Lorenzo Catani, Matthew Leifer, Giovanni Scala, David Schmid, and Robert W. Spekkens, “Aspects of the phenomenology of interference that are genuinely nonclassical”, Physical Review A 108 2, 022207 (2023).

[9] Markus P. Mueller and Andrew J. P. Garner, “Testing quantum theory with generalized noncontextuality”, arXiv:2112.09719, (2021).

[10] Rafael Wagner, Anita Camillini, and Ernesto F. Galvão, “Coherence and contextuality in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer”, arXiv:2210.05624, (2022).

[11] Brian Drummond, “Quantum Mechanics: Statistical Balance Prompts Caution in Assessing Conceptual Implications”, Entropy 24 11, 1537 (2022).

[12] David Schmid, John H. Selby, and Robert W. Spekkens, “Addressing some common objections to generalized noncontextuality”, arXiv:2302.07282, (2023).

[13] Lorenzo Catani and Matthew Leifer, “A mathematical framework for operational fine tunings”, Quantum 7, 948 (2023).

[14] David Schmid, “Macrorealism as strict classicality in the framework of generalized probabilistic theories (and how to falsify it)”, arXiv:2209.11783, (2022).

[15] Marcos L. W. Basso, Ismael L. Paiva, and Pedro R. Dieguez, “Unveiling quantum complementarity trade-offs in relativistic scenarios”, arXiv:2306.08136, (2023).

[16] Rafael Wagner and Ernesto F. Galvão, “Anomalous weak values require coherence”, arXiv:2303.08700, (2023).

[17] Lorenzo Catani, “Relationship between covariance of Wigner functions and transformation noncontextuality”, arXiv:2004.06318, (2020).

The above citations are from SAO/NASA ADS (last updated successfully 2023-09-25 14:19:37). The list may be incomplete as not all publishers provide suitable and complete citation data.

Could not fetch Crossref cited-by data during last attempt 2023-09-25 14:19:35: Could not fetch cited-by data for 10.22331/q-2023-09-25-1119 from Crossref. This is normal if the DOI was registered recently.

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