Gerard 't Hooft
Spinoza Institute, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Date
26 September 2007
Title
Deterministic Quantum Mechanics
Abstract
The differences between the quantum world and the classical world appear to be so sound, that attempts at a deterministic interpretation of quantum mechanics are usually dismissed. It is taken for granted that if ever a "Theory of Everything" is formulated, this should be an exact description of quantum amplitudes that completely determine all properties of known and as yet unknown particles and forces. Yet there are problems with this view. Can one define a unique wave function for the entire universe? Can one formulate a quantized version of General Relativity? There are some intriguing features in the theory of Quantum Mechanics that suggest that it might also describe statistical fluctuations in some deterministic system. We might be living in a world where the fundamental dynamical variables are neither fields nor particles.