Research category
Foundations of Quantum Mechanics
What does quantum theory say about reality, and why does the world have its particular quantum structure?
The field in perspective
Quantum theory predicts interference and correlations with extraordinary precision. Its foundations ask what those predictions mean, which physical assumptions support them, and how the familiar world emerges from them.
The questions here distinguish mathematical consequences of the formalism, competing interpretations, and proposals with different experimental predictions. Begin with measurement for the tension within the theory, or correlations for a precise boundary between classical and quantum models.
Fundamental questions
- Why does a measurement have one outcome?
Unitary dynamics predicts an entangled system and apparatus. What connects that description to a definite recorded result?
- Why are quantum correlations limited?
Bell inequalities exclude local hidden-variable models, but no-signalling alone allows correlations stronger than quantum theory.
- How does a classical world emerge?
Loss of local interference is only part of the story: stable, independently accessible records must also be explained.
- How can gravity and quantum theory be tested together?
A branch-dependent gravitational phase offers a tractable starting point, but interpreting an entanglement signal requires explicit assumptions.