A possibilistic no-go theorem on the Wigner's friend paradox
File version
Version of Record (VoR)
Author(s)
Cavalcanti, Eric G
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract
The famous 'Wigner's friend' paradox highlights the difficulty of modelling the evolution of quantum systems under measurement in situations where observers themselves are considered to be subject to the laws of quantum mechanics. In recent years, variations of the original Wigner's friend paradox have been recognized as fruitful arenas for probing the foundations of quantum theory. In particular (Bong et al 2020 Nat. Phys.16 1199) demonstrated a contradiction between a set of intuitive assumptions called 'Local Friendliness' (LF) and certain quantum phenomena on an extended version of the Wigner's friend paradox. The LF assumptions can be understood as the conjunction of two independent assumptions: Absoluteness of Observed Events requires that any event observed by any observer has an absolute, rather than relative, value; Local Agency is the assumption that an intervention cannot be correlated with relevant events outside its future light cone. These assumptions are weaker than the assumptions that lead to Bell's theorem, and thus while the LF result may be considered to be conceptually comparable to Bell's result, its implications are even deeper. The proof of the LF no-go theorem, however, relies on probability theory, and a fundamental question remained whether or not LF is an inherently statistical concept. Here we present a probability-free version of the LF theorem, building upon Hardy's no-go theorem for local hidden variables. The argument is phrased in the language of possibilities, which we make formal by using a modal logical approach. It relies on a weaker version of Local Agency, which we call 'Possibilistic Local Agency': the assumption that an intervention cannot affect the possibilities of events outside its future light cone.
Journal Title
New Journal of Physics
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
25
Issue
9
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd on behalf of the Institute of Physics and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Physical sciences
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Physics
quantum foundations
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Haddara, M; Cavalcanti, EG, A possibilistic no-go theorem on the Wigner's friend paradox, New Journal of Physics, 2023, 25 (9), pp. 093028