The Importance of Locality in Quantum Physics

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

There's no way to reproduce quantum mechanics without spooky action at a distance. You'll hear people say, well, you can save locality if you give up realism. I have yet to hear a definition of realism that satisfies that unless you're giving up the idea of things. So basically if experiments have definite outcomes and there's not some vast conspiracy going back to the beginning of time. Like many worlds.

There are many mysteries surrounding quantum mechanics. To me, the biggest mysteries are why physicists haven’t yet agreed on a complete understanding of the theory, and even more why they mostly seem content not to try. This puzzling attitude has historical roots that go back to the Bohr-Einstein debates. Adam Becker, in his book What Is Real?, looks at this history, and discusses how physicists have shied away from the foundations of quantum mechanics in the subsequent years. We discuss why this has been the case, and talk about some of the stubborn iconoclasts who insisted on thinking about it anyway.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Adam Becker received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Michigan. He is currently a science writer and a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine & Society at UC Berkeley. His book What Is Real? The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics comes out in paperback on Sept. 3, 2019.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.