How Quantum Mechanics can consistently describe the use of itself
Open accessAbstract
We discuss the no-go theorem of Frauchiger and Renner based on an “extended Wigner’s friend” thought experiment which is supposed to show that any single-world interpretation of quantum mechanics leads to inconsistent predictions if it is applicable on all scales. We show that no such inconsistency occurs if one considers a complete description of the physical situation. We then discuss implications of the thought experiment that have not been clearly addressed in the original paper, including a tension between relativity and nonlocal effects predicted by quantum mechanics. Our discussion applies in particular to Bohmian mechanics.
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Abandoning free choice and locality might not resolve the contradiction.
“While the precise interpretation of (5) within nonlocal theories is under debate (21), it seems that abandoning free choice and locality might not resolve the contradiction (5).”
From Experimental test of local observer independence (2019) · cites this paper as [21]
In ‘Analysis > On the Bohmian perspective’ (page unavailable), the paper says the apparent contradiction comes from an agent using the wrong quantum state, not from a failure of Bohmian mechanics. ‘Analysis > The fallacy’ concludes that Bohmian mechanics gives a consistent description of the experiment. The paper does not discuss abandoning free choice, but its conclusion is contrary to citing it for the suggestion that the contradiction may persist in a nonlocal theory. (LLM, conf=0.83)
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- Authors
- Lazarovici, D., & Hubert, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Lausanne (CH)
- Columbia University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lazarovici, Dustin
- Venue
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2019-01-24
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 470-470
- ISSN
- 2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6346061
- OpenAlex
- W2913808361
- Cited by
- 113
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 7.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (174745)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Quantum Mechanics and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Quantum Information and Cryptography
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
- Keywords
- measurement problem, Bohmian mechanics, quantum foundations
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