Synopses & Reviews
Rob Clifton was one of the most brilliant and productive researchers in the foundations and philosophy of quantum theory, who died tragically at the age of 38. Jeremy Butterfield and Hans Halvorson collect fourteen of his finest papers here, drawn from the latter part of his career (1995-2002), all of which combine exciting philosophical discussion with rigorous mathematical results.
Many of these papers break wholly new ground, either conceptually or technically. Others resolve a vague controversy intoa precise technical problem, which is then solved; still others solve an open problem that had been in the air for soem time. All of them show scientific and philosophical creativity of a high order, genuinely among the very best work in the field.
The papers are grouped into four Parts. First come four papers about the modal interpretation of quantum mechanics. Part II comprises three papers on the foundations of algebraic quantum field theory, with an emphasis on entanglement and nonlocality. The two papers in Part III concern the concept of a particle in relativistic quantum theories. One paper analyses localization; the other analyses the Unruh effect (Rindler quanta) using the algebraic approach to quantum theory. Finally, Part IV contains striking new results about such central issues as complementarity, Bohr's reply to the EPR argument, and no hidden variables theorems; and ends with a philosophical survey of the field of quantum information. The volume includes a full bibliography of Clifton's publications.
Quantum Entanglements offers inspiration and substantial reward to graduates and professionals in the foundations of physics, with a background in philosophy, physics, or mathematics.
Table of Contents
Editors' Introduction
I. Modal Interpretations
1. Independently motivating the Kochens-Dieks modal interpretation of quantum mechanics
2. A uniqueness theorem for 'no collapse' interpretations of quantum mechanics, with Jeffrey Bub
3. Revised proof for the uniqueness theorem for 'no collapse' interpretations of quantum mechanics, with Jeffrey Bub and Sheldon Goldstein
4. Lorentz-invariance in modal interpretations, with Michael Dickson
II. Foundations of Algebraic Quantum Field Theory
5. The modal interpretation of algebraic quantum field theory
6. Generic Bell correlation between arbitrary local algebras in quantum field theory, with Hans Halvorson
7. Entanglement and open systems in algebraic quantum field theory, with Hans Halvorson
III. The Concept of a Particle
8. No place for particles in relativistic quantum theories?, with Hans Halvorson
9. Are Rindler quanta real? Inequivalent particle concepts in quantum field theory, with Hans Halvorson
IV. New Light on Complementarity, Hidden Variables, and Entanglement
10. Non-local correlations are generic in infinite-dimensional systems, with Hans Halvorson and Adrian Kent
11. Complementarity between position and momentum as a consequence of Kochen-Specker arguments
12. Reconsidering Bohr's reply to EPR, with Hans Halvorson
13. Simulating quantum mechanics by non-contextual hidden variables, with Adrian Kent
14. The subtleties of entanglement and its role in quantum information theory
Bibliography of the writings of Robert Clifton
Index