Foundations of Physics

Finch, Peter

doi: 10.1007/BF00726781pmid: N/A

The trace formulation of quantum mechanical expectations is derived in a classical deterministic setting by averaging over an assembly of states. Interference of probabilities is discussed and its usual Hilbert space formulation is questioned. Nevertheless, it is shown that the observable predictions of quantum statics remain unchanged in the framework developed here.

Christensen, Jens; Mattuck, Richard

doi: 10.1007/BF00726782pmid: N/A

The Bohm-Bub hidden-variable theory is able to predict the results of measuring a quantum system only in the special case where the set of commuting observables being measured is complete. To handle the much more common case where the set is incomplete, Tutsch has proposed a generalization of the Bohm-Bub model. Unfortunately, as we show here, Tutsch's original method does not yield the correct quantum mechanical transition probabilities. On the other hand, Belinfante's modification of Tutsch's method does yield the correct probabilities, and it gives a satisfactory hidden-variable theory of partial measurement for the case where one or more commuting variable(s) are measured at a single space-time point. In the case where the variables are measured at different space-time points, the theory is inadequate, due to the fact that it is not relativistically covariant, and does not take relaxation of the hidden variables into account.

Stapp, Henry

doi: 10.1007/BF00726783pmid: N/A

A theory of psychophysical phenomena is proposed. It resolves simultaneously four basic problems of science, namely the problems of the connections between:(1) mind and matter,(2) quantum theory and reality,(3) relativity theory and “becoming,” and (4) relativity theory and Bell's theorem.

Kolen, P.; Torr, D.

doi: 10.1007/BF00726784pmid: N/A

In this paper we describe a propagation experiment to measure the one-way velocity of electromagnetic radiation. The experiment utilizes the rotation of the earth to interchange the positions of two rubidium vapor frequency standards over12 h, thereby canceling initial clock phase differences. It is demonstrated that although the drift characteristics of modern rubidium atomic clocks may be large for long-term absolute timing requirements, the short-term random fluctuations are small. It is found that over a24-h period, the long-term drift can be accurately parameterized in retrospect and removed, thereby permitting the detection of temporal variations less than1 nsec in magnitude. With coherent summing techniques this value may be significantly reduced, and it becomes realistic to consider an experiment where the clocks are separated by distances of the order of several hundreds of meters in order to detect velocities of the order of that of the solar system with respect to the center of the galaxy(≈10 5 m sec −1 ), thus ensuring that the rotational motion of the earth has a negligible effect in altering the relative inertial characteristics of the reference frames of each clock. It is demonstrated that under such conditions the measurement of the one-way speed of propagation of electromagnetic radiation is not only meaningful, but can be simply implemented with commercially available instrumentation.

Borzeszkowski, H.; Treder, H.

doi: 10.1007/BF00726785pmid: N/A

A discussion of the diffraction and scattering of particles by a grating shows that the experiment discussed by H. Hönl and by L. Rosenfeld in 1965 and again in 1981 does not reveal any contradiction between general relativity and quantum theory. Moreover, these theories, in principle, cannot refute one another because the (weak) principle of equivalence, underlying general relativity theory, entails that gravitation does not alter the laws of microphysics.

Gudder, Stanley

doi: 10.1007/BF00726786pmid: N/A

We construct a quantum logic which generates the usual quark states. It follows from this model that quarks can combine only in quark-antiquark pairs and quark (and antiquark) triples. The ground meson and baryon states are also generated and gluons are discussed.

Raggio, G.; Primas, H.

doi: 10.1007/BF00726787pmid: N/A

The assertion by Simmons and Park that the dynamical map associated with the Bloch equations of nuclear magnetic resonance is not completely positive is wrong.

Simmons, Ralph; Park, James

doi: 10.1007/BF00726788pmid: N/A

In this rejoinder to a critique by Raggio and Primas of our paper, “On Completely Positive Maps in Generalized Quantum Dynamics,” we acknowledge that, contrary to our original assertion, the Bloch equations are indeed completely positive. We then explain briefly why this modification of our analysis does not alter its main conclusions.