Jacob Barandes: There is No Wave Function
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
00:00
From Curiosity to Academia
This chapter chronicles the speaker's intellectual journey from a childhood spark of curiosity to a deep passion for physics and philosophy. It explores their academic struggles and triumphs, revealing how their interests evolved and shaped their career in teaching and research.
Play episode from 01:51
Transcript
Transcript
Episode notes
Jacob Barandes examines why the wave function may not be a real entity, exploring measurement, stochastic processes, and the foundations of quantum mechanics. He connects quantum theory to interdisciplinary perspectives and discusses the implications for consciousness and higher dimensions.
- 00:00 - Introduction
- 01:26 - Jacob's Background
- 07:32 - Pursuing Theoretical Physics
- 10:28 - Is Consciousness Linked to Quantum Mechanics?
- 16:07 - Why the Wave Function Might Not Be Real
- 20:12 - The Schrödinger Equation Explained
- 23:04 - Higher Dimensions in Quantum Physics
- 30:11 - Heisenberg’s Matrix Mechanics
- 35:08 - Schrödinger’s Wave Function and Its Implications
- 39:57 - Dirac and von Neumann's Quantum Axioms
- 45:09 - The Problem with Hilbert Spaces
- 50:02 - Wigner's Friend Paradox
- 55:06 - Challenges in Defining Measurement in Quantum Mechanics
- 01:00:17 - Trying to Simplify Quantum for Students
- 01:03:35 - Bridging Quantum Mechanics with Stochastic Processes
- 01:05:05 - Discovering Indivisible Stochastic Processes
- 01:12:03 - Interference and Coherence Explained
- 01:16:06 - Redefining Measurement and Decoherence
- 01:18:01 - The Future of Quantum Theory
- 1:24:09 - Foundationalism and Quantum Theory
- 1:25:04 - Why Use Indivisible Stochastic Laws?
- 1:26:10 - The Quantum-Classical Transition
- 1:27:30 - Classical vs Quantum Probabilities
- 1:28:36 - Hilbert Space and the Convenience of Amplitudes
- 1:30:01 - No Special Role for Observers
- 1:33:40 - Emergence of the Wave Function
- 1:38:27 - Physicists' Reluctance to Change Foundations
- 1:43:04 - Resolving Quantum Mechanics' Inconsistencies
- 1:50:46 - Practical Applications of Indivisible Stochastic Processes
- 1:57:53 - Understanding Particles in the Indivisible Stochastic Model
- 2:00:48 - Is There a Fundamental Ontology?
- 2:07:02 - Advice for Students Entering Physics
- 2:09:32 - Encouragement for Interdisciplinary Research
- 2:12:22 - Outro
SPONSORS:
- The Economist: 20% off discount for TOE listeners. https://www.economist.com/toe
RESOURCES:
- https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
- Wigner's paper 'Remarks on the Mind-Body Question': https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/wigner/Wigner_Remarks.pdf
- Jacob's lecture on Hilbert Spaces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmaSAG4J6nw&ab_channel=OxfordPhilosophyofPhysics
- John von Neumann's book on 'Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics': https://amzn.to/48OkeVj
- The 1905 Papers (Albert Einstein): https://guides.loc.gov/einstein-annus-mirabilis/1905-papers
- Dividing Quantum Channels (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/math-ph/0611057
- Sean Carroll on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AoRxtYZrZo
- Scott Aaronson and Leonard Susskind's paper on 'Quantum Necromancy': https://arxiv.org/pdf/2009.07450
- Scott Aaronson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZpGCQoL2Rk
- Leonard Susskind on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p_Hlm6aCok
- Ekkolapto's website: https://www.ekkolapto.org/
- Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!)
- Listen to TOE on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- Become a YouTube Member Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Join TOE's Newsletter 'TOEmail' at https://www.curtjaimungal.org
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802
- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything
- 00:00 - Introduction
- 01:26 - Jacob's Background
- 07:32 - Pursuing Theoretical Physics
- 10:28 - Is Consciousness Linked to Quantum Mechanics?
- 16:07 - Why the Wave Function Might Not Be Real
- 20:12 - The Schrödinger Equation Explained
- 23:04 - Higher Dimensions in Quantum Physics
- 30:11 - Heisenberg’s Matrix Mechanics
- 35:08 - Schrödinger’s Wave Function and Its Implications
- 39:57 - Dirac and von Neumann's Quantum Axioms
- 45:09 - The Problem with Hilbert Spaces
- 50:02 - Wigner's Friend Paradox
- 55:06 - Challenges in Defining Measurement in Quantum Mechanics
- 01:00:17 - Trying to Simplify Quantum for Students
- 01:03:35 - Bridging Quantum Mechanics with Stochastic Processes
- 01:05:05 - Discovering Indivisible Stochastic Processes
- 01:12:03 - Interference and Coherence Explained
- 01:16:06 - Redefining Measurement and Decoherence
- 01:18:01 - The Future of Quantum Theory
- 1:24:09 - Foundationalism and Quantum Theory
- 1:25:04 - Why Use Indivisible Stochastic Laws?
- 1:26:10 - The Quantum-Classical Transition
- 1:27:30 - Classical vs Quantum Probabilities
- 1:28:36 - Hilbert Space and the Convenience of Amplitudes
- 1:30:01 - No Special Role for Observers
- 1:33:40 - Emergence of the Wave Function
- 1:38:27 - Physicists' Reluctance to Change Foundations
- 1:43:04 - Resolving Quantum Mechanics' Inconsistencies
- 1:50:46 - Practical Applications of Indivisible Stochastic Processes
- 1:57:53 - Understanding Particles in the Indivisible Stochastic Model
- 2:00:48 - Is There a Fundamental Ontology?
- 2:07:02 - Advice for Students Entering Physics
- 2:09:32 - Encouragement for Interdisciplinary Research
- 2:12:22 - Outro
SPONSORS:
- The Economist: 20% off discount for TOE listeners. https://www.economist.com/toe
RESOURCES:
- https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
- Wigner's paper 'Remarks on the Mind-Body Question': https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/wigner/Wigner_Remarks.pdf
- Jacob's lecture on Hilbert Spaces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmaSAG4J6nw&ab_channel=OxfordPhilosophyofPhysics
- John von Neumann's book on 'Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics': https://amzn.to/48OkeVj
- The 1905 Papers (Albert Einstein): https://guides.loc.gov/einstein-annus-mirabilis/1905-papers
- Dividing Quantum Channels (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/math-ph/0611057
- Sean Carroll on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AoRxtYZrZo
- Scott Aaronson and Leonard Susskind's paper on 'Quantum Necromancy': https://arxiv.org/pdf/2009.07450
- Scott Aaronson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZpGCQoL2Rk
- Leonard Susskind on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p_Hlm6aCok
- Ekkolapto's website: https://www.ekkolapto.org/
- Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!)
- Listen to TOE on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- Become a YouTube Member Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Join TOE's Newsletter 'TOEmail' at https://www.curtjaimungal.org
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802
- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The AI-powered Podcast Player
Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
