Constructibility of the Universal Wave Function

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    2 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    This paper focuses on a constructive treatment of the mathematical formalism of quantum theory and a possible role of constructivist philosophy in resolving the foundational problems of quantum mechanics, particularly, the controversy over the meaning of the wave function of the universe. As it is demonstrated in the paper, unless the number of the universe’s degrees of freedom is fundamentally upper bounded (owing to some unknown physical laws) or hypercomputation is physically realizable, the universal wave function is a non-constructive entity in the sense of constructive recursive mathematics. This means that even if such a function might exist, basic mathematical operations on it would be undefinable and subsequently the only content one would be able to deduce from this function would be pure symbolical.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1253-1268
    Number of pages16
    JournalFoundations of Physics
    Volume46
    Issue number10
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1 Oct 2016

    Keywords

    • Constructive existence proofs
    • Dirac’s formalism
    • Hypercomputing
    • Many-world interpretation
    • Mathematical constructivism
    • Physical finitism
    • Potential realizability
    • Universal wave function

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Physics and Astronomy

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