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Talk by Tom Pashby at MCMP (May 28)
by Dardashti, Radin May 25, 2014

May 25, 2014

Speaker: Tom Pashby (Pittsburgh) Wednesday 28th May 2014 Location: Ludwigstr. 31 room 021 Time: 16:15 - 17:45 Title: Against Dogma: Locality, Conditionalisation, and Collapse in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics Abstract: I argue here against the widespread view (due to David Malament) that the non-commutativity of non-instantaneous localisation projections implies the existence of act-outcome correlations in relativistic QM. There are two facets to my argument: first, I claim that the interpretation of collapse as a process brought about by the experimenter is mistaken; second, I contend that a fully relativistic model should not condition on the occurrence of spacelike separated instantaneous events. This leaves the door open to define a relativistically invariant (but non-commuting) system of localization, which I interpret in terms of conditional probabilities for the occurrence of events. In accord with Tumulka (2009), I conclude that non-local correlations of events in a relativistic quantum theory need not imply the sort of action at a distance that worries Malament (1996).

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Talk by Adam Caulton (Cambridge)
by Karim Thébault May 15, 2014

May 15, 2014

Speaker: Adam Caulton (Cambridge) Wednesday 21st May 2014 Location: Ludwigstr. 31 room 021 Time: 16:15 - 17:45 Title: Adventures off the mass-shell What is the correct possibility space for a given particle of a quantum field? The firm orthodoxy, initiated by Wigner in 1939, is that we should look to the irreducible representations of the Poincaré group. But the justifications for this are murky, so I offer two rational reconstructions. According to one, the justification is that the Poincaré group comprises all the actions that can be performed on a simple system; but this is false, made particularly relevant in the case of interactions. According to another, conflicting reconstruction, Poincaré invariance is a reality condition; but this applies only to the entire system of fields, not to individual particles. Therefore it ought not constrain the possibility spaces of individual particles. Consequently, I argue, we have reason to consider "larger" state spaces than are normally considered. On one such approach, which I will advocate, the elements of these state spaces represent entire four-dimensional histories rather than instantaneous states---most of which are "off mass-shell", in that the relativistic mass condition is violated. I conclude by arguing that off-mass-shell particles, far from being mere formal inventions for the sake of S-matrix calculations, are just as "real" as their free counterparts---indeed, they are to be found as much in classical relativistic theories as in quantum relativistic theories. _______________________________________________ philphysmunich mailing list philphysmunich(a)lists.lrz.de https://lists.lrz.de/mailman/listinfo/philphysmunich

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Talk by Douglas Stone at ASC (Apr 30)
by Dardashti, Radin April 28, 2014

April 28, 2014

Speaker: A. Douglas Stone (Yale) Wednesday 30th Apr 2014 Location: Room A348/349, Theresienstr. 37/III Time: 16:15 - 17:45 Title: Einstein and Quantum Mechanics: Its Not What You Think Abstract: Einstein is well known for his rejection of quantum mechanics in the form it emerged from the work of Heisenberg, Born and Schrodinger in 1926. Much less appreciated are the many seminal contributions he made to quantum theory prior to his final scientific verdict, that the theory was at best incomplete. In this talk I present an overview of Einsteins many conceptual breakthroughs and place them in his- torical context. I argue that Einstein, much more than Planck, in- troduced the concept of quantization of energy in atomic mechanics. Einstein proposed the photon, the first force-carrying particle dis- covered for a fundamental interaction, and put forward the notion of wave-particle duality, based on sound statistical arguments 14 years before De Broglies work. He was the first to recognize the intrinsic randomness in atomic processes, and introduced the notion of tran- sition probabilities, embodied in the A and B coefficients for atomic emission and absorption. He also preceded Born in suggesting the interpretation of wave fields as probability densities for particles, pho- tons, in the case of the electromagnetic field. Finally, stimulated by Bose, he introduced the notion of indistinguishable particles in the quantum sense and derived the condensed phase of bosons, which is one of the fundamental states of matter at low temperatures. His work on quantum statistics in turn directly stimulated Schrodinger towards his discovery of the wave equation of quantum mechanics. It was only due to his rejection of the final theory that he is not gener- ally recognized as the most central figure in this historic achievement of human civilization.

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SimTech Workshop -Entanglement and Speed-up: Philosophical Issues in Quantum Computing
by Giacomo Lini April 11, 2014

April 11, 2014

Workshop title: Entanglement and Speed-up: Philosophical Issues in Quantum Computing Date and Venue: 9th, May, 2014. University of Stuttgart, Room 17.11, Kepplerstr. 1st floor Unofficial Schedule: 10:00 -11:00 Giovanni Cinà (ILLC, University of Amsterdam): CONNECTING THE CATEGORICAL AND THE MODAL LOGIC APPROACHES TO QUANTUM MECHANICS 11:15 -12:15 Michael Esfeld (University of Lausanne ): STRUCTURAL REALISM AND THE EXPLANATION OF QUANTUM NON-LOCALITY 13:45-14:45 Hans Briegel (University of Innsbruck): TO BE ANNOUNCED 15:00-16:00: Michael Cuffaro (University of Munich): THE PHYSICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BELL INEQUALITIES Short abstracts of the talks are available for consultation at the following website: http://quantumworkshopstuttgart.wordpress.com Anyone interested in participating is very welcome, but kindly asked to register by sending an email to the following mailboxes: giacomo.lini(a)philo.uni-stuttgart.de ulrike.pompe-alama(a)philo.uni-stuttgart.de Overview: Since their rising, quantum computational methods have been a matter of interest for physicists, mathematicians, and philosophers. This is due to the fact that quantum computing is a result of the combined research efforts of multiple disciplines, and its applications can provide a lot of benefits in both the practical and the theoretical domain. One of the most discussed topics is related to the origins of what is generally called “speed up”, i.e. the ability of a quantum computer to outperform its classical counterparts. In the last years, the description of the so-called cluster state quantum computer and some works on the dequantisation of quantum algorithms have at least undermined – if not defeated – the general idea that at the crudest level, quantum computation is just quantum parallelism. The aim of this workshop is to bring together physicists, mathematicians and philosophers and to consider the possible consequences of exalting the role of quantum entanglement at a computational and metaphysical level, highlighting in which sense the discussion about computational speed up can be fruitfully exploited for quantum theory and its interpretation.

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PHIL-PHYS-MUNICH: seminar on singularities, black holes and thermo
by Erik Curiel March 31, 2014

March 31, 2014

I want to remind people that I will be leading a weekly course (graduate seminar) this term at the MCMP, entitled "Singularities, Black Holes and Thermodynamics in Relativistic Spacetimes". It meets every Monday, starting April 07, 12:15--13:45, Ludwigstr. 31, room 021. I attach the course summary and a detailed schedule of lectures with the assigned and suggested readings. The website for the course will always have the most up-to-date version of the summary and schedule, as well as links to many of the readings: http://strangebeautiful.com/lmu/2014-summer-sings-bhs-thermo.html Hope to see you there! Yours, Erik -- Erik Curiel Postdoctoral Fellow Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie Fakultät für Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Ludwigstraße 31 80539 München, Deutschland http://strangebeautiful.com

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Philosophy of Quantum Information theory reading group next semester, and philosophy of physics courses at the mcmp
by Michael Cuffaro Feb. 27, 2014

Feb. 27, 2014

Dear all, next semester (summer term 2014) there will be a reading group on the philosophy of Quantum Information Theory at LMU. Everyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend. It will occur bi-weekly on Wednesdays from 14:00 - 16:00. More information will follow as the summer term approaches. In the meantime, any suggestions for specific topics and/or readings in quantum information theory are welcome. Please email any suggestions to me privately. Please also note that the following courses in the philosophy of physics are being offered at the MCMP in the summer 2014 term (and should be cross-listed with the physics department shortly): - 10082, Classical Concepts in the History and Philosophy of Physics, SS 2014. - 10089, Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Physics, SS 2014 - 10097, Singularities, Blackholes and Thermodynamics in Relativistic Spacetime, SS 2014 - 10083, Einstein for Everyone, SS 2014 For more information on these courses, please visit the LSF: https://lsf.verwaltung.uni-muenchen.de/qisserver/rds?state=user&type=0&noDB… Best wishes, -- Michael Cuffaro Postdoctoral Fellow Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Fakultät für Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1 80539 München, Deutschland http://www.michaelcuffaro.com

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Two Talks at the MCMP (10.&13. Feb) - Changed Rooms!
by Dardashti, Radin Feb. 9, 2014

Feb. 9, 2014

Speaker: Lev Vaidman (Tel Aviv) Monday 10th Feb 2014 Location: Ludwigstr. 33 room 144 Time: 18:15 - 19:45 Title: Sleeping Beauty in Quantumland Abstract: A recent philosophical controversy in the analysis of the probability puzzle about Sleeping Beauty is presented. The issue of probability in the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is reviewed. It is argued that that the analysis of the puzzle in the framework of the many-worlds interpretation helps to solve the Sleeping Beauty puzzle. ----------------------------------------------------- Speaker: Joseph Berkovitz (Toronto) Thursday 13th Feb 2014 Location: Ludwigstr. 33 room 144 Time: 18:15 - 19:45 Title: On Mathematical Explanations of Physical Facts Abstract: Modern physics is highly mathematical, and this may suggest that mathematics is bound to play some role in explaining the physical reality. Yet, there is an ongoing controversy about the prospects of mathematical explanations of physical facts and the nature of such explanations. A popular view has it that mathematics provides a rich and indispensable language for describing the physical reality but could not play any role in explaining physical facts. Even more prevalent is the view that physical facts are to be sharply distinguished from mathematical facts. Indeed, both sides of the debate seem to hold this view. Accordingly, the idea that mathematical facts could explain physical facts seems particularly puzzling: how could facts about abstract, non-physical entities possibly explain physical facts? In this paper, I challenge these common views. I argue that (1) in addition to its descriptive role, mathematics plays a constitutive role in modern physics: some general, fundamental features of the physical reality, as reflected by modern physics, are essentially mathematical; and that (2) this constitutive role is the source of mathematical explanations of physical facts. On the basis of this argument, I suggest an account of mathematical explanation of physical facts. I conclude by comparing this account to other existing accounts of mathematical explanations of physical facts.

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Foundations of QM Seminar (Feb. 3) (DIFFERENT ROOM: 028)
by Dardashti, Radin Jan. 31, 2014

Jan. 31, 2014

Dear all, our "Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" seminar continues Monday with Michael Cuffaro "On the Significance of the Gottesman-Knill Theorem". Abstract: According to the Gottesman-Knill theorem, quantum algorithms utilising operations chosen from a particular restricted set are efficiently simulable classically. Since some of these algorithms involve entangled states, it is commonly concluded that entanglement is not sufficient to enable quantum computers to outperform classical computers. It is argued in this paper, however, that what the Gottesman-Knill theorem shows us is only that if we limit ourselves to the Gottesman-Knill operations, we will not have used the entanglement with which we have been provided to its full potential, for all of the Gottesman-Knill operations are such that their associated statistics (even when they involve entangled states) are reproducible in a local hidden variables theory. It is further argued that considering the Gottesman- Knill theorem is illuminating, not only for our understanding of quantum computation, but also for our understanding of what we take to be a plausible local hidden variables theory, as well as for our understanding of the relationship between all-or-nothing inequalities such as GHZ, and statistical inequalities such as CHSH. Papers can be found in the dropbox link below. The most relevant is Mike's paper: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fgl2j08e51o8wcw/tVbMrg8sc5 Location: Ludwigstr.31, ROOM 028. Time: Monday Feb. 3, 18:00 (s.t.; i.e. not 18:15) Best wishes, Radin

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PHIL-PHYS-GRP: reminder of meeting today
by Erik Curiel Jan. 29, 2014

Jan. 29, 2014

I have two apologies to make. First, due to a logistical screw-up, apparently no general email was sent out last week announcing that the meeting last Wednesday had been postponed. I apologize for that. And it was just drawn to my attention that I neglected to send out an announcement earlier this week about the meeting of the group today, which will take place at the usual time (14:15-15:45) in the usual place (Ludwigstr. 25, room D4c). I apologize for that as well. I hope to see y'all there. E -- Erik Curiel Postdoctoral Fellow Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie Fakultät für Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft Ludwigstraße 31 80539 München, Deutschland http://strangebeautiful.com

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Foundations of QM Seminar (Jan. 27)
by Dardashti, Radin Jan. 27, 2014

Jan. 27, 2014

Dear all, our "Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" seminar continues today. I will speak on "The different Faces of Bell's Theorem". Papers can be found in the dropbox link below: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e0rsfy1g39ieto3/oHCCQKX8uh Location: Ludwigstr.31, Room 021. Time: Monday Jan. 27, 18:00 (s.t.; i.e. not 18:15) Best wishes, Radin

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