Download “Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?” JOSEPH LEONARD TUBERGEN

“Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical
Reality Be Considered Complete?”
JOSEPH LEONARD TUBERGEN
Physics Major, University of NC Wilmington
Erwin with his psi can do
Calculations quite a few.
But one thing has not been seen:
Just what does psi really mean?
-Erich Hückel
This was the title of the famous (EPR) paper by Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan
Rosen in their analysis of the interpretation of quantum theory. One cannot interpret quantum
mechanics without first adopting a philosophical position towards “physical reality.” The possibility of
hidden variable theories will be discussed in relation to their implications concerning determinism and
reality. We will cover the history and foundational aspects of quantum mechanics that eventually led to
the derivation of Bell’s Inequality. This inequality provides a condition to test if quantum mechanics is
compatible with local hidden variable theories and, hence, local reality itself. We will also discuss Alain
Aspect’s experimental test of Bell’s Inequality. This talk will shed light on the nature of this ongoing
debate.
The "paradox" is only a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality "ought to be."
-Richard Feynman
Friday, December 2, 2011
2:00 PM
DeLoach Hall, Room 212