Can category-theoretic semantics resolve the problem of the interpretation of the quantum state vector?

Abstract

Do correctness and completeness of quantum mechanics jointly imply that quantum state vectors are necessarily in one-to-one correspondence with elements of the physical reality? In terms of category theory, such a correspondence would stand for an isomorphism, so the problem of the status of the quantum state vector could be turned into the question of whether state vectors are necessarily isomorphic to elements of the reality. As it is argued in the present paper, in order to tackle this question, one needs to complement the category-theoretic approach to quantum mechanics with the computational-complexity-theoretic considerations. Based on such considerations, it is demonstrated in the paper that the hypothesis of the isomorphism existing between state vectors and elements of the reality is expected to be unsuitable for a generic quantum system.

arXiv comment10 pages

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