[Vdp] Antoine Soulas, "An interpretation-independent formulation of the measurement problem" - Physics meets Philosophy

Dear all, You are hereby invited to the next "Physics meets Philosophy" talk by Antoine Soulas (University of Vienna) Title: An interpretation-independent formulation of the measurement problem (see abstract below) Date: May 7th (Wednesday) Time: 11:00-12:30 Location: IQOQI Seminar room (Boltzmanngasse 3, 2nd floor) Zoom link (for those that cannot join in person): https://univienna.zoom.us/j/66902590859?pwd=HaoStYqIbHUcDcq8fMl9MYm6OibV2E.1 Abstract: In this presentation, I do not try to solve the measurement problem, but rather to properly formulate it. One of the reasons why it still lacks a precise, agreed definition is that the problem may take very different forms depending on the interpretation of QM embraced. I propose to identify the common root of the puzzle in an interpretation-independent way (i.e. as a property of the probabilities only) and derive its philosophical consequences. The key point is that the violation of the total probability formula in QM does not allow to construct an objective ontology, independent from epistemology. This enables to: (i) better compare the different interpretations of QM; (ii) propose a reason why QM and GR are so fundamentally incompatible, not relying on purely mathematical or technical arguments. For more information on "Physics meets Philosophy", see https://sites.google.com/view/physphilvienna Best wishes Sebastian