On the Colbeck-Renner Theorem

Abstract

In three papers Colbeck and Renner (Nature Communications 2:411, (2011); Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 150402 (2012); arXiv:1208.4123) argued that "no alternative theory compatible with quantum theory and satisfying the freedom of choice assumption can give improved predictions". We give a more precise version of the formulation and proof of this remarkable claim. Our proof broadly follows theirs, which relies on physically well motivated axioms, but to fill in some crucial details certain technical assumptions have had to be added, whose physical status seems somewhat obscure.

11 pages. Very slight revision of paper completed October 2013

References in corpus (4)

• Is the quantum state real? An extended review of $\psi$-ontology theorems
• No extension of quantum theory can have improved predictive power
• About possible extensions of quantum theory
• Against the No-Go Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics

Cited by in corpus (4)

• An impossibility theorem for Parameter Independent hidden variable theories
• Completely real? A critical note on the claims by Colbeck and Renner
• Non-locality and quasiclassical reality in Kent's formulation of relativistic quantum theory
• Epistemic Boundaries and Quantum Uncertainty: What Local Observers Can (Not) Predict