论文标题

因果不可分割性及其对时空关系的影响

Causal nonseparability and its implications for spatiotemporal relations

论文作者

Letertre, Laurie

论文摘要

量子不可分割性是量子力学的核心特征,并提出了重要的哲学问题。有趣的是,量子力学的特定理论发展称为过程矩阵形式主义(PMF),具有另一种不可分割性,称为因果不可分割性。 PMF吸引了量子过程的概念,量子过程是对量子状态概念的概括,允许在多个方面代表量子事件之间的量子样相关性,而无需指定先验的时空位置。至关重要的是,由于PMF对量子事件之间的全局因果结构没有任何假设,因此它允许存在具有无限性因果关系结构的因果不可分割的量子过程。这项工作旨在调查因果不可分割性的哲学含义,尤其是对于时空关系的概念。初步讨论将研究量子与因果不可分割性之间的形式联系。可以强调的是,尽管量子过程可以看作是密度矩阵的概括,但两个概念之间的概念区别在量子和因果不可分割性之间产生了显着差异。从那里开始,将表明,根据解释性框架,因果不可分割性表明时空关系的某种不确定性。也就是说,在现实主义的背景下,时空关系在认识或形而上学上可能是不确定的。最后,人们将争辩说,尽管标准和因果不可分割性之间存在脱节,但在标准量子力学的背景下,对空间关系的含义也可以捍卫。这项工作突出了量子特征对时空概念的含义的潜在富有成果的探索。

Quantum nonseparability is a central feature of quantum mechanics, and raises important philosophical questions. Interestingly, a particular theoretical development of quantum mechanics, called the process matrix formalism (PMF), features another kind of nonseparability, called causal nonseparability. The PMF appeals to the notion of quantum process, which is a generalisation of the concept of quantum state allowing to represent quantum-like correlations between quantum events over multiple parties without specifying a priori their spatiotemporal locations. Crucially, since the PMF makes no assumption about the global causal structure between quantum events, it allows for the existence of causally nonseparable quantum processes having an indefinite causal structure. This work aims at investigating the philosophical implications of causal nonseparability, especially for the notion of spatiotemporal relations. A preliminary discussion will study the formal connection between quantum and causal nonseparability. It will be emphasised that, although quantum processes can be seen as a generalisation of density matrices, the conceptual distinction between the two notions yields significant differences between quantum and causal nonseparability. From there, it will be shown that, depending on the interpretative framework, causal nonseparability suggests some kind of indeterminacy of spatiotemporal relations. Namely, within a realist context, spatiotemporal relations can be epistemically or metaphysically indeterminate. Finally, it will be argued that, in spite of the disanalogies between standard and causal nonseparability, similar implications for spatial relations can already be defended in the context of standard quantum mechanics. This work highlights the potentially very fruitful explorations of the implications of quantum features on the conception of spacetime.

扫码加入交流群

加入微信交流群

微信交流群二维码

扫码加入学术交流群,获取更多资源