Time asymmetry and quantum equations of motion

Foundations of Physics 3 (4):435-455 (1973)
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Abstract

Accepted quantum description is stochastic, yet history is nonstochastic, i.e., not representable by a probability distribution. Therefore ordinary quantum mechanics is unsuited to describe history. This is a limitation of the accepted quantum theory, rather than a failing of mechanics in general. To remove the limitation, it would be desirable to find a form of quantum mechanics that describes the future stochastically and the past nonstochastically. For this purpose it proves sufficient to introduce into quantum mechanics, by means of a perfected formal correspondence, certain analogs of the classical initial-condition constants. Through the restoration of such parameters at the quantum level one accomplishes a natural accommodation of time anisotropy, wave-function reduction, and “event” description by quantum mechanical equations of motion alone, without the need for extra postulates (e.g., a projection postulate). This requires a complete restructuring of quantum measurement theory

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Citations of this work

Toward a fundamental mechanics. I.T. E. Phipps - 1975 - Foundations of Physics 5 (1):45-58.
Toward a fundamental mechanics. II.T. E. Phipps - 1976 - Foundations of Physics 6 (1):71-82.
Toward a fundamental mechanics. III.T. E. Phipps - 1976 - Foundations of Physics 6 (3):263-273.

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References found in this work

The Principles of Quantum Mechanics.P. A. M. Dirac - 1936 - Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale 43 (2):5-5.
Von Neumann's argument for the projection postulate.Joseph D. Sneed - 1966 - Philosophy of Science 33 (1/2):22-39.
Observation and Interpretation.Stephen Toulmin - 1959 - Philosophical Quarterly 9 (36):285-286.

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