Feb 16, 2022 02:26 AM
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sci...-mechanics
EXCERPTS: One of the great triumphs of modern science is the theory of quantum mechanics, one of the most successful ideas in history. Every experiment ever done is compatible with its predictions and despite numerous attempts, physicists have never been able to create conditions in which it doesn’t work.
But quantum theory’s success forces physicists to accept a number of uncomfortable truths. For example, it allows “spooky action at a distance” between entangled particles. [...] This thinking forces physicists to the conclusion that our deterministic experience of the universe is an illusion. Indeed, there is little debate among physicists that the foundation of reality is fundamentally and weirdly probabilistic.
Except among a small group of theoretical physicists led by the Nobel Prize winner, Gerard ‘t Hooft. For them, the idea of determinism – that one thing leads to another – is sacrosanct. They say the probabilistic properties of quantum mechanics can all be explained by a set of hidden laws that sit beneath the surface of quantum mechanics.
[...] First some background. The current theory of quantum mechanics that attempts to explain the nature of the universe is called the Standard Model of particle physics. And it has been hugely successful. ... But in all this success, physicists have conveniently overlooked some of the Standard Model’s shortcomings...
[...] Enter ‘t Hooft. His solution is to propose that beneath the surface, nature is fundamentally deterministic. This “superdeterminism” has profound implications. “Assuming an underlying model to be completely deterministic removes most of the ‘quantum paradoxes’ that were thought to be special to quantum mechanics alone,” he says.
For example, the ability of one entangled particle to influence another instantly must be an illusion. Superdeterminism suggests that the outcome is predetermined by another, deeper set of laws that are deterministic. But because we aren’t aware of these laws, the influence appears instantaneous.
Of course, this is a controversial idea. Physicists have long considered the possibility that quantum mechanics is incomplete, that it is missing a set of hidden variables that determine the outcome in experiments like this. ... Most physicists interpret [...certain...] experiments as proof that quantum mechanics cannot be governed by hidden variables and at first glance, this spells disaster for ‘t Hooft’s approach.
But he says there is a way through this quagmire. By his thinking, superdeterminism is so fundamental that it influences not just the particles that are being measured but the entire experimental set up, including the observers themselves...
[...] ‘t Hooft’s ideas are controversial but they promise much that the Standard Model cannot deliver... [...] ‘t Hooft’s ideas operate on an even smaller scale – the Planck length. This is so small that no current experiments can access it, which is why evidence is hard to get. But he believes that it is still possible to formulate a successful theory using a similar approach.
By his own admission, ‘t Hooft is far from this point but he has begun to map out some of the features that his new theory must have. He says the universe on this level must work like a cellular automaton [...] If any of this seems familiar, it is because ‘t Hooft is not the first to suggest that a cellular automaton can explain all the phenomenon in the universe... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: One of the great triumphs of modern science is the theory of quantum mechanics, one of the most successful ideas in history. Every experiment ever done is compatible with its predictions and despite numerous attempts, physicists have never been able to create conditions in which it doesn’t work.
But quantum theory’s success forces physicists to accept a number of uncomfortable truths. For example, it allows “spooky action at a distance” between entangled particles. [...] This thinking forces physicists to the conclusion that our deterministic experience of the universe is an illusion. Indeed, there is little debate among physicists that the foundation of reality is fundamentally and weirdly probabilistic.
Except among a small group of theoretical physicists led by the Nobel Prize winner, Gerard ‘t Hooft. For them, the idea of determinism – that one thing leads to another – is sacrosanct. They say the probabilistic properties of quantum mechanics can all be explained by a set of hidden laws that sit beneath the surface of quantum mechanics.
[...] First some background. The current theory of quantum mechanics that attempts to explain the nature of the universe is called the Standard Model of particle physics. And it has been hugely successful. ... But in all this success, physicists have conveniently overlooked some of the Standard Model’s shortcomings...
[...] Enter ‘t Hooft. His solution is to propose that beneath the surface, nature is fundamentally deterministic. This “superdeterminism” has profound implications. “Assuming an underlying model to be completely deterministic removes most of the ‘quantum paradoxes’ that were thought to be special to quantum mechanics alone,” he says.
For example, the ability of one entangled particle to influence another instantly must be an illusion. Superdeterminism suggests that the outcome is predetermined by another, deeper set of laws that are deterministic. But because we aren’t aware of these laws, the influence appears instantaneous.
Of course, this is a controversial idea. Physicists have long considered the possibility that quantum mechanics is incomplete, that it is missing a set of hidden variables that determine the outcome in experiments like this. ... Most physicists interpret [...certain...] experiments as proof that quantum mechanics cannot be governed by hidden variables and at first glance, this spells disaster for ‘t Hooft’s approach.
But he says there is a way through this quagmire. By his thinking, superdeterminism is so fundamental that it influences not just the particles that are being measured but the entire experimental set up, including the observers themselves...
[...] ‘t Hooft’s ideas are controversial but they promise much that the Standard Model cannot deliver... [...] ‘t Hooft’s ideas operate on an even smaller scale – the Planck length. This is so small that no current experiments can access it, which is why evidence is hard to get. But he believes that it is still possible to formulate a successful theory using a similar approach.
By his own admission, ‘t Hooft is far from this point but he has begun to map out some of the features that his new theory must have. He says the universe on this level must work like a cellular automaton [...] If any of this seems familiar, it is because ‘t Hooft is not the first to suggest that a cellular automaton can explain all the phenomenon in the universe... (MORE - missing details)
