On the Conceptual Issues Surrounding the Notion of Relational Bohmian Dynamics
arXiv:1602.02468 · doi:10.1007/s10701-016-9992-z
Abstract
The paper presents a program to construct a non-relativistic relational Bohmian theory, that is, a theory of moving point-like particles that dispenses with space and time as fundamental background structures. The relational program proposed is based on the best-matching framework originally developed by Julian Barbour. In particular, the paper focuses on the conceptual problems that arise when trying to implement such a program. It is argued that pursuing a relational strategy in the Bohmian context leads to a more parsimonious ontology than that of standard Bohmian mechanics without betraying the original motivations for adopting a primitive ontology approach to quantum physics. It is also shown how a relational Bohmian approach might clarify the issue of the timelessness of the dynamics resulting from the quantization of a classical relational system of particles.
39 pages, accepted for publication in Foundations of Physics
References in corpus (12)
- On the Common Structure of Bohmian Mechanics and the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber Theory
- Constraints and gauge transformations: Dirac's theorem is not always valid
- Time Remains
- Foundations of Relational Particle Dynamics
- A Shape Dynamics Tutorial
- New interpretation of variational principles for gauge theories. I. Cyclic coordinate alternative to ADM split
- Records Theory
- Classical dynamics on triangleland
- Configuration Spaces in Fundamental Physics
- Scale Anomaly as the Origin of Time
- Can Bohmian Mechanics Be Made Background Independent?
- Quantum Inflation of Classical Shapes
Cited by in corpus (5)
- Quantum Motion on Shape Space and the Gauge Dependent Emergence of Dynamics and Probability in Absolute Space and Time
- Relationalism about mechanics based on a minimalist ontology of matter
- Pure shape dynamics: General framework
- From the measurement problem to the primitive ontology programme
- A proposal for a metaphysics of self-subsisting structures. II. Quantum physics