Action Duality: A Constructive Principle for Quantum Foundations

Abstract

An analysis of the path-integral approach to quantum theory motivates the hypothesis that two experiments with the same classical action should have dual ontological descriptions. If correct, this hypothesis would not only constrain realistic interpretations of quantum theory, but would also act as a constructive principle, allowing any realistic model of one experiment to generate a corresponding model for its action-dual. Two pairs of action-dual experiments are presented, including one experiment that violates the Bell inequality and yet is action-dual to a single particle. The implications generally support retrodictive and retrocausal interpretations.

24 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (3)

• On a Time Symmetric Formulation of Quantum Mechanics
• Quantum Dynamics as an analog of Conditional Probability
• Realism and Time Symmetry in Quantum Mechanics

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• Why the Tsirelson Bound? Bub's Question and Fuchs' Desideratum
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• $\Psi$-Epistemic Quantum Cosmology?
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• Reality, No Matter How You Slice It