May 2015 - philphysmunich

Talk by Michael Cuffaro and Gábor Hofer-Szabó at the MCMP (Thu 28th)
by Dardashti, Radin May 25, 2015

May 25, 2015

Speaker: Michael Cuffaro (MCMP) Date: Thu., May 28 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 12:15 -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 13:45 Title: How Do Quantum Systems Evolve? Abstract: There are excellent physical reasons for believing that quantum systems evolve `completely positively' through time (i.e. that their dynamical evolution can be described exclusively using CP `maps'). Despite these reasons, there has nevertheless been a long-standing and sometimes passionate debate between physicists over whether some evolutions require that they be described using /not/ completely positive (NCP) maps. In my talk I will attempt to diffuse this debate by arguing that we should side with the minority opinion, but with a qualification: NCP maps should be understood, not as reflecting `not completely positive' evolution, but rather as /partially defined/ CP maps, and that the debate over the properties one should ascribe to the /extension/ of such a partially-defined map is akin to a debate over the properties one should ascribe to a phantom. I close by speculating on some of the implications of incorporating such `NCP' maps into a quantum dynamical framework. *Note: although this talk will be on a specialised topic, every effort will be made to motivate it for and make it accessible to a non-specialist audience.* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker: Gábor Hofer-Szabó (Hungarian Academy of Sciences) Date: Thu., May 28 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 16:15 -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 17:45 Title: On Einstein's Reality Criterion Abstract: In the talk we characterize the different interpretations of QM in an operationalist-frequentist framework and show what entities the different interpretations posit. We define completeness and correctness of an interpretation in terms of how this posited ontology relates to the "real world ontology" posited by principles independent of the interpretations. We argue that the Reality Criterion is just such a principle. We also argue that the EPR argument, making use of the Reality Criterion, is devised to show that certain interpretations of QM are incomplete, whereas Einstein's latter arguments, making no use of the Reality Criterion, are devised to show that the Copenhagen interpretation is simply wrong. Next, investigating the nature of prediction, an essential part of the Reality Criterion, we formulate two hypothesis: (i) the Reality Criterion is a special case of Reichenbach's Common Cause Principle; (ii) it is a special case of Bell's Local Causality Principle.

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Talk by Casey McCoy at MCMP (Wed 20th)
by Dardashti, Radin May 18, 2015

May 18, 2015

Speaker: Casey McCoy (UCSD) Date: Wed., May 20 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 16:15 -⁠⁠⁠⁠ 17:45 Title: Cosmological Probabilities: General Relativity and Statistical Mechanics Writ Large Abstract: Physicists and philosophers have occasionally advanced arguments concerning the probabilities of possible universes, based on, for example, the so-called Past Hypothesis and GHS measure from cosmology. Although it may seem dubious to treat the entire universe as a random event, one might suppose that these arguments may be justified by extrapolating successful applications of probability in physics, such as statistical mechanics, to the universe. I argue that these justifications, when based on statistical mechanical probabilities, fail to be adequate.

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Andreas Hüttemann at TUM
by Wolfgang Pietsch May 11, 2015

May 11, 2015

Speaker: Andreas Hüttemann (Cologne) Date: Tuesday, May 12 Location: TU München, Arcisstr. 21, room 1221 http://www.cvl-a.mcts.tum.de/fileadmin/w00bsu/www/content_uploads/wegbeschre ibung_cvla_seminarraum1221.pdf Time: 18:15 - 19:45 Title: Die Störungstheorie der Kausalität Best wishes, Wolfgang -------------- Dr. Wolfgang Pietsch Lehrstuhl für Philosophie und Wissenschaftstheorie Munich Center for Technology in Society Technische Universität München Arcisstr. 21 D-80333 München, Germany Tel.: +49 (0)89 . 289 25366

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Talk by Miklos Redei at the MCMP (May 13)
by Dardashti, Radin May 11, 2015

May 11, 2015

Speaker: Miklos Redei (London School of Economics) Date: Wed., May 13 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 18:15 -⁠⁠⁠ 19:45 Title: A categorial approach to relativistic locality Abstract: In the talk relativistic locality of a probabilistic physical theory is interpreted as an interconnected web of properties which express compatibility of the theory with the underlying causal structure of spacetime. Four components of this web are distinguished: spatiotemporal locality, causal locality-Independence, causal locality-Dependence, and causal locality-Dynamic. These four conditions will be specified in terms of concepts from the categorical approach to quantum field theory and results are recalled indicating the extent to which an algebraic quantum field theory satisfying the Haag–Kastler axioms is causally local. The talk is based on the paper: A categorial approach to relativistic locality" Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 48 (2014) 137-146

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