The Oxford Handbook of the History of Quantum Interpretations (Oxford Handbooks in Physics)

Quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. It became the backbone of most research in physics, led to applications such as the transistor and laser, and prompted an upheaval in the philosophy of science. Its scope and its precision have been constantly growing, and it is now promising more powerful computers and safer cryptography. This century of conquests has also been a time of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, which has been referred to as the quantum controversy. The controversy has been unusually long and remains open. Jammer called it “a story without an ending” and Laloë described this coexistence of successes and doubts with the metaphor of the colossus with feet of clay. This Handbook is a survey on this history. Some of the so-called “interpretations” are not interpretations of a fixed formalism, they are different theories, thus it has been a debate about the interpretations and the foundations of quantum mechanics. In this volume, the “history of interpretations” is used for the sake of brevity. The successive parts of the Handbook deal with the scientific and philosophical issues under debate, historical landmarks, places and contexts, historical and philosophical theses, and the proliferation of interpretations. This Handbook may serve those interested in the history of quantum mechanics and those who are engaged with, or attracted by current research on quantum information, as it may give them a flavor of the history that led to or lay the groundwork for the current investigations. Table of Contents List of Contributors Introduction • Olival Freire Jr., Guido Bacciagaluppi, Olivier Darrigol, Thiago Hartz, Christian Joas, Alexei Kojevnikov, and Osvaldo Pessoa Jr. PART I: QUANTUM PHYSICS—SCIENTIFIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES UNDER DEBATE 1. Quantum Mechanics is Routinely Used in Laboratories with Great Success, but No Consensus on its Interpretation has Emerged • Franck Laloë 2. Philosophical Issues Raised by Quantum Theory and its Interpretations • Wayne C. Myrvold PART II: HISTORICAL LANDMARKS OF THE INTERPRETATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS 3. Quantization Conditions, 1900–1927 • Anthony Duncan and Michel Janssen 4. Of Weighting and Counting: Statistics and Ontology in the Old Quantum Theory • Massimiliano Badino 5. Dead as a Doornail? Zero-Point Energy and Low-Temperature Physics in Early Quantum Theory • Helge Kragh 6. The Early Debates about the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics • Martin Jähnert and Christoph Lehner 7. Foundations and Applications: The Creative Tension in the Early Development of Quantum Mechanics • Christian Joas 8. The Statistical Interpretation: Born, Heisenberg, and von Neumann, 1926–27 • Guido Bacciagaluppi 9. A Perennially Grinning Cheshire Cat? Over A Century of Experiments on Light Quanta and Their Perplexing Interpretations • Klaus Hentschel 10. The Evolving Understanding of Quantum Statistics • Daniela Monaldi 11. The Measurement Problem • Osvaldo Pessoa Jr. 12. Einstein’s Criticism of Quantum Mechanics • Michel Paty 13. Tackling Loopholes in Experimental Tests of Bell’s Inequality • David I. Kaiser 14. The Measuring Process in Quantum Field Theory • Thiago Hartz 15. The Interpretation Debate and Quantum Gravity • Alexander S. Blum and Bernadette Lessel 16. Quantum Information and the Quest for Reconstruction of Quantum Theory • Alexei Grinbaum 17. Natural Reconstructions of Quantum Mechanics • Olivier Darrigol 18. The Axiomatization of Quantum Theory through Functional Analysis: Hilbert, von Neumann, and Beyond • Klaas Landsman 19. Tony Leggett’s Challenge to Quantum Mechanics and its Pathto Decoherence • Fábio Freitas PART III: PLACES AND CONTEXTS RELEVANT FOR THE INTERPRETATIONS OF QUANTUM THEORY 20. The Copenhagen Interpretation • Don Howard 21. Copenhagen and Niels Bohr • Anja Skaar Jacobsen 22. Grete Hermann’s Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics • Elise Crull 23. Instrumentation and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics • Climério Paulo da Silva Neto 24. Early Solvay Councils: Rhetorical Lenses for Quantum Convergence and Divergence • José G. Perillán 25. The Foundations of Quantum Mechanics in Post-WarItaly’s Cultural Context • Flavio Del Santo 26. Foundations of Quantum Physics in the Soviet Union • Jean-Philippe Martinez 27. Early Japanese Reactions to the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, 1927–1943 • Kenji Ito 28. Form and Meaning: Textbooks, Pedagogy, and the Canonical Genres of Quantum Mechanics • Josep Simon 29. Chien-Shiung Wu’s Contributions to Experimental Philosophy • Indianara Silva 30. On How Epistemological Letters Changed the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics • Sebastián Murgueitio Ramírez 31. Quantum Interpretations and 20th Century Philosophy of Science • Thomas Ryckman PART IV: HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL THESES 32. Bohr and the Epistemological Lesson of Quantum Mechanics • Stefano Osnaghi 33. Making Sense of the Century-Old Scientific Controversy over the Quanta • Olival Freire Jr. 34. Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy in the Post-war Era • Kristian Camilleri 35. The Reception of the Forman Thesis in Modernity and Postmodernity • Paul Forman 36. Quantum Historiography and Cultural History: Revisiting the Forman Thesis • Alexei Kojevnikov 37. The Co-creation of Classical and Modern Physics and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics • Richard Staley 38. Interpretation in Electrodynamics, Atomic Theory, and Quantum Mechanics • Giora Hon and Bernard R. Goldstein PART V: THE PROLIFERATION OF INTERPRETATIONS 39. Hidden Variables • Jeffrey Bub 40. Pure Wave Mechanics, Relative States, and Many Worlds • Jeffrey A. Barrett 41. Is QBism a Possible Solution to the Conceptual Problems of Quantum Mechanics? • Hervé Zwirn 42. Agential Realism—A Relation Ontology Interpretation of Quantum Physics • Karen Barad 43. The Relational Interpretation • Carlo Rovelli 44. The Philosophy of Wholeness and the General and New Concept of Order: Bohm’s and Penrose’s Points of View • Jean-Jacques Szczeciniarz and Joseph Kouneiher 45. Spontaneous Localization Theories: Quantum Philosophy between History and Physics • Valia Allori 46. The Non-Individuals Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics • Décio Krause, Jonas R. B. Arenhart, and Otávio Bueno 47. Modal Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics • Dennis Dieks 48. A Brief Historical Perspective on the Consistent Histories Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics • Gustavo Rocha, Dean Rickles, and Florian Boge 49. Einstein, Bohm, and Bell: A Comedy of Errors • Jean Bricmont 50. The Statistical (Ensemble) Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics • Alexander Pechenkin 51. Stochastic Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics • Emilio Santos Index Crucial to most research in physics, as well as leading to the development of inventions such as the transistor and the laser, quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. However, the field has also long been the subject of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, referred to as the quantum controversy. This Oxford Handbook offers a historical overview of the contrasts which have been at the heart of quantum physics for the last 100 years. Drawing on the wide-ranging expertise of several contributors working across physics, history, and philosophy, the handbook outlines the main theories and interpretations of quantum physics. It goes on to tackle the key controversies surrounding the field, touching on issues such as determinism, realism, locality, classicality, information, measurements, mathematical foundations, and the links between quantum theory and gravity. This engaging introduction is an essential guide for all those interested in the history of scientific controversies and history of quantum physics. It also provides a fascinating examination of the potential of quantum physics to influence new discoveries and advances in fields such quantum information and computing. This Oxford Handbook provides a rigorous, interdisciplinary review of the history of interpretations of quantum physics, presenting the key controversies within the field, as well as outlining its successes and its extraordinary potential across various scientific fields.