[PhilPhys] Q+ Hangout: Bill Wootters

[Matthew Leifer]

Q+ is a series of online seminars about quantum foundations and quantum 
information that uses the Hangouts feature of Google+. Announcements are 
posted here when the talk is relevant to the foundations of quantum 
theory. To watch the talk live go to http://gplus.to/qplus at the 
appointed hour.

Date/time: Tuesday 18th June 2013 2pm BST/UTC+1

Speaker: Bill Wootters (Williams College)

Title: What is the origin of complex probability amplitudes?

Abstract: I begin this presentation with an attempt to explain the 
origin of probability amplitudes in quantum theory, but the explanation 
makes sense only if those amplitudes are real. This result provides 
motivation for studying the real-vector-space variant of quantum theory. 
I show how a particular model within real-vector-space quantum theory 
can produce the appearance of complex probability amplitudes. In this 
model, a special binary subsystem of the universe, called the universal 
rebit or “ubit,” plays the role of the complex phase factor. In a 
certain limit the effective theory emerging from the model mimics 
standard quantum theory, but if we stop short of this limit the model 
predicts the spontaneous decoherence of isolated systems.

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or visit our website at http://qplus.burgarth.de
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