Realism about the Wave Function

Abstract

A century after the discovery of quantum mechanics, the meaning of quantum mechanics still remains elusive. This is largely due to the puzzling nature of the wave function, the central object in quantum mechanics. If we are realists about quantum mechanics, how should we understand the wave function? What does it represent? What is its physical meaning? Answering these questions would improve our understanding of what it means to be a realist about quantum mechanics. In this survey article, I review and compare several realist interpretations of the wave function. They fall into three categories: ontological interpretations, nomological interpretations, and the \emph{sui generis} interpretation. For simplicity, I will focus on non-relativistic quantum mechanics.

Penultimate version for Philosophy Compass

References in corpus (5)

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Cited by in corpus (9)

• Electron Charge Density: A Clue from Quantum Chemistry for Quantum Foundations
• From Time Asymmetry to Quantum Entanglement: The Humean Unification
• A representation of the wave function on the three-dimensional space
• The Quantum Measurement Problem: A Review of Recent Trends
• The Point of Primitive Ontology
• The operational framework for quantum theories is both epistemologically and ontologically neutral
• Decoherence, Branching, and the Born Rule in a Mixed-State Everettian Multiverse
• Typical Quantum States of the Universe are Observationally Indistinguishable
• The Quantum Revolution in Philosophy (Book Review)