We are glad to introduce
Prof. Rob Spekkens
(Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics)
Monday, 21st November 2022 at 17:00
Lise-Meitner Lecture Hall, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna
Why interference phenomena do not capture the essence of quantum theory?
Quantum interference phenomena are widely viewed as posing a challenge to the classical worldview. Feynman even went so far as to claim that they are the only mystery and the basic peculiarity of quantum mechanics. We challenge this claim by describing an alternative to quantum theory, a statistical theory of a classical discrete field—a `toy field theory’—that reproduces the relevant phenomenology of quantum interference while respecting the classical worldview in the sense of being realizable by a local and noncontextual ontological model. This theory also reproduces a number of related interference phenomena, such as the Elitzur-Vaidman bomb tester, Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment, and the quantum eraser experiment. Finally, we identify an aspect of interference phenomenology that does resist explanation within the classical worldview, namely, the functional form of the quantum wave-particle duality relation.
17:00 get-together with coffee and snacks
17:30 VCQ Student talk by Stefan Ludescher (IQOQI Vienna) “Entanglement/Asymmetry correspondence for internal quantum reference frames”
17:45 Colloquium talk by Prof. Spekkens
Host: Markus Müller (IQOQI)
For further information and the zoom link please visit: https://vcq.quantum.at/colloquium-ws-22/
The lecture series is organized by the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ).
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
