Quantum Theory as Symmetry Broken by Vitality

2019/07/04 by Blake C. Stacey, Stacey, Blake C. · 1 voice · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Philosophy and History of Science #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Relativity and Gravitational Theory

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1907.02432

openalex publication_date 2019/07/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

I summarize a research program that aims to reconstruct quantum theory from a fundamental physical principle that, while a quantum system has no intrinsic hidden variables, it can be understood using a reference measurement. This program reduces the physical question of why the quantum formalism is empirically successful to the mathematical question of why complete sets of equiangular lines appear to exist in complex vector spaces when they do not exist in real ones. My primary goal is to clarify motivations, rather than to present a closed book of numbered theorems, and consequently the discussion is more in the manner of a colloquium than a PRL.

Citations

• Why do We Find Bohr Obscure?
• Belief and the Will
• Evidence for the epistemic view of quantum states: A toy theory
• Unperformed experiments have no results
• Limited Holism and Real-Vector-Space Quantum Theory
• Measuring diversity: the importance of species similarity
• Making better sense of quantum mechanics
• Strongly symmetric spectral convex bodies are Jordan algebra state\n spaces

Cited by

• QBism, Polishing Some Points

Discussions

• Here's my "manifesto" paper where I explain the research problem I found the most interesting. I wrote the first version pre-COVID because life felt fragile even then. Y'know, "If I get hit by a bus, [bsky, 2 points, 1 comments]

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