dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaIndividuality as an illusion
| Authors | Adonai S. Sant'Anna |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0409025 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0409025 |
Abstract
Elementary particles in quantum mechanics (QM) are indistinguishable when sharing the same intrinsic properties and the same quantum state. So, we can consider quantum particles as non-individuals, although non-individuality is usually considered as a consequence of the formalism of QM, since the entanglement of states forbids any labelling process. We show how to consider non-individuality as one of the basic principles of QM, instead of a logical consequence. The advantages of our framework are discussed as well. We also show that even in classical particle mechanics it is possible to consider the existence of non-individual particles. One of our main contributions is to show how to derive the apparent individuality of classical particles from the assumption that all physical objects are non-individuals.
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"abstract": "Elementary particles in quantum mechanics (QM) are indistinguishable when\nsharing the same intrinsic properties and the same quantum state. So, we can\nconsider quantum particles as non-individuals, although non-individuality is\nusually considered as a consequence of the formalism of QM, since the\nentanglement of states forbids any labelling process. We show how to consider\nnon-individuality as one of the basic principles of QM, instead of a logical\nconsequence. The advantages of our framework are discussed as well. We also\nshow that even in classical particle mechanics it is possible to consider the\nexistence of non-individual particles. One of our main contributions is to show\nhow to derive the apparent individuality of classical particles from the\nassumption that all physical objects are non-individuals.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0409025",
"authors": [
"Adonai S. Sant\u0027Anna"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
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"title": "Individuality as an illusion",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0409025"
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