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Making Sense of Approximate Decoherence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2022

Guido Bacciagaluppi  and
Meir Hemmo
Guido Bacciagaluppi
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Meir Hemmo
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Extract

One of the main goals of no-collapse interpretations of quantum mechanics is to show how results of measurements are objectified, or, in a more poignant terminology, how in a measurement situation facts arise. One needs to show how in their dynamical evolution the measured system and, perhaps more importantly, the measuring apparatus acquire, or at least appear to acquire, the definite properties that are otherwise explained by the collapse of the state. This can be seen as a special case of the problem whether quantum mechanics alone can account for the classical behaviour of macroscopic systems; in particular, the permanent definiteness of at least those properties of macroscopic systems that are directly observable, such as the position of the pointer of a measuring apparatus. In other words, whether quantum mechanics can account for macrofacts of the familiar kind.

Type
Part IX. Quantum Mechanics: Decoherence and Related Matters
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1994 , Issue 1: Volume One: Contributed Papers 1994 , 1994 , pp. 344 - 354
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

1

Our special thanks go to Harvey Brown, Dennis Dieks, Michael Redhead and, in particular, Jeremy Butterfield, whose criticism helped us remain coherent. We further wish to thank Joseph Berkowitz, Thomas Breuer, Rob Clifton, Michael Dickson, Andrew Elby, Gordon Fleming, Renata Grassi, Adrian Kent, Larry Landau, Klaas Landsman and Constantine Pagonis for a number of discussions and comments that contributed to the development of the ideas and content of this paper. We thank Constantine Pagonis also for his patience in teaching us how to use Microsoft Word. GB acknowledges financial support from the Arnold Gerstenberg Fund and the British Academy, MH from the Cambridge Overseas Trust, the Overseas Research Scheme and Anglo-Jewish Association.

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