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<div>Hey everyone,<br>
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We will be having a remote Theory seminar <b>today at 1pm</b>.
Even though it's remote <b>please join us in L102 or on Zoom</b>.
Below is the info<b><br>
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<div>Speaker: Jacob Barandes (Harvard University)<br>
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<div>Zoom:<b> </b><a href="https://jlab-org.zoomgov.com/j/1607122942?pwd=jwL6454csz4ssfGwtKJY8HawT0XqYU.1" target="_blank" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://jlab-org.zoomgov.com/j/1607122942?pwd=jwL6454csz4ssfGwtKJY8HawT0XqYU.1</a></div>
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<div>Titel: Probability, Indivisibility, and Quantum Theory</div>
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<div>Abstract:</div>
<div>In textbooks, quantum theory is usually defined in terms of a
complicated collection of abstract mathematical ingredients, like
wave functions, Hilbert spaces, and self-adjoint operators. One
then plugs these ingredients into special formulas that produce
probabilities that we can verify with laboratory measurements. But
the axioms of the textbook theory do not explain why these special
formulas are true, or how probabilities emerge from them. The
axioms also exhibit various ambiguities and gaps, the most famous
of which is known as “the measurement problem.” <br>
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<div>Quantum foundations is an area of research devoted to studying
and resolving these sorts of problems. Over the past century,
these efforts have produced a remarkable number of important
spin-offs, including entanglement, decoherence, quantum advantage,
and the Bell inequality (which led to the 2022 Nobel Prize in
Physics). It would be an understatement to say that a large
fraction of current research in physics relies on these spin-offs.</div>
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<div>In this talk, I will describe a novel approach to quantum
foundations based on a newly discovered correspondence between
quantum systems and “indivisible” stochastic processes. After
explaining what indivisible stochastic processes are, starting
from their first appearance in the research literature in 2021, I
will show how to use this correspondence to reconstruct quantum
theory in terms of ordinary notions of probability playing out
through a classical picture of the world. The resulting
indivisible formulation of quantum theory does not include wave
functions or Hilbert spaces among its physical objects. Nor does
it involve parallel universes, pilot waves, alive-and-dead cats,
or other famously exotic ingredients.</div>
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<div>The indivisible theory makes the world safe for ordinary
probability theory, potentially opens the door to new
generalizations of quantum theory, and suggests that quantum
theory and quantum computers might provide more efficient
techniques for simulating stochastic processes beyond the Markov
approximation, with potential applications for statistical
modeling, finance, neuroscience, and ecology, among other areas.</div>
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<div>Bio:</div>
<div>Jacob Barandes did his PhD in quantum gravity at Harvard, where
he is now on the faculty with appointments in both the physics and
philosophy departments, and is also a faculty affiliate with
Harvard's Black Hole Initiative. Jacob's work consists of
“philosophical physics,” in which one uses the tools of analytic
philosophy to make progress on open problems in physics, as well
as “physical philosophy,” which means trying to determine what our
best physical theories can tell us about questions in metaphysics
and the philosophy of science. He is particularly interested in
quantum foundations and the metaphysics of causation. In addition
to his research and teaching at Harvard, Jacob organizes Harvard's
annual New England Workshop on the History and Philosophy of
Physics, as well as a regular seminar series on the foundations
and philosophy of physics.</div>
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<div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container">Best wishes,<br>
Adam, Joe, Pia<br>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Pia Leonie Jones Petrak
Postdoctoral Fellow
Theoretical and Computational Physics Center
Jefferson Lab</pre>
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