Re: Stephen Hawking on waves and particles


Sebastian Meznaric wrote:
Certainly it seems likely that in fact there are only waves. Indeed the
main reason for the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics comes
from the collapse of the wavefunction to one of the eigenfunctions at
the moment of the measurement. What we should imagine instead is that
if for instance position of a particle is measured the wavefunction
does not actually become the Dirac delta but rather comes close.
Really, since Schrodinger equation (or Dirac equation in relativistic
version of quantum mechanics) should predict the state of the universe
(or isolated system of interest) for all times. So if one includes
measuring devices in the Hamiltonian, the system should be completely
determined. This is probably what Hawking meant by his comment.

Determined in what way and what measurinng devices are you using here?
A statistical assumption for the system, a la Maxwell-Boltzmann
distribution, or a probalistic description of its compnents, a la
Schrödinger wave function? Eitherway, it seems to me that there cannot
be any other description of the system you describe other than a wave
due to the nature of way in which the problem is approached, being
based on an equation that cannot be dervived - it's self-limiting and
self-fulfilling. OK, it is useful and it works, but you can't help
feeling "is that all there is?"

"A problem well stated is a problem halve solved" - Charles F
Kettering.


SCW

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