It has been almost eighty years since quantum mechanics emerged as a complete theory, yet debates about how should quantum mechanics be interpreted still occur. Interpretations are many and varied, some taking us as fundamental in determining reality (orthodox interpretation), while others proposing that reality exists outside of us, but it is a lot more complicated than that implied by classical mechanics. In this thesis I am going to try to provide new light on this debate by investigating dynamics under both the orthodox and modal interpretation. In particular I will answer the question what is the interpretation of non-Markovian stochastic Schrodinger equations? I conclude that under the orthodox view these equations have only a numerical interpretation. They provide a rule for calculating the state of the system at time t if we made a measurement on the bath (a collection of oscillators {ak}) at that time, yielding results {zk}. However in the modal view they have a meaning: non-Markovian stochastic Schrodinger equations represent the evolution of the system part of the property state of the universe (bath + system).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/195085 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Gambetta, Jay, n/a |
| Publisher | Griffith University. School of Science |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.gu.edu.au/disclaimer.html), Copyright Jay Gambetta |
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