arXiv subjects

Leslie Ballentine

Publications and source records attributed to Leslie Ballentine.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2014

Ontological Models in Quantum Mechanics: What do they tell us?

The consequences of the theorems about ontological models are studied. "Maximally $ψ$-epistemic" is shown to be equivalent to the conjunction of two other conditions, each of which can be realized in Hilbert spaces of arbitrary dimension, but which cannot occur together for d>2. I argue that current theorems do not invalidate an epistemic interpretation of quantum states. A new condition, called "functionally $ψ$-epistemic", is introduced, which, were it to be excluded, would signal the exclusion of epistemic interpretations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Objective and Subjective Probabilities in Quantum Mechanics

The concept of probability was prominent in the original foundations of quantum mechanics, and continues to be so today. Indeed, the controversies regarding objective and subjective interpretations of probability have again become active. I argue that, although both objective and subjective probabilities have domains of relevance in QM, their roles are quite distinct. Even where both are legitimate, the objective and subjective probabilities differ, both conceptually and numerically. There are quantum probabilities that have no useful subjective interpretations, and there are subjective probabilities that cannot be realized as quantum probabilities.

quant-ph↗