The Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen Paradox in Atomic, Nuclear, and Particle Physics.pdf

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The Einstein, Podolsky,
and Rosen Paradox
in Atomic, Nuclear, and
Particle Physics
The Einstein, Podolsky,
and Rosen Paradox
in Atomic, Nuclear, and
Particle Physics
Alexander Afrial
London School of Economics
London, England
and
Franco Selleri
University of Bari
Bari, Italy
Springer Science+Business Media , LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publ icatIon Data
Afriat . Ale xander.
The Einstein . Podolsky. and Rosen paradox i n atomic. nuclear.
and particle physics
I
Alexander Afriat and Franco Se lleri .
p.
em.
Includes bibliographical references and index .
1. Einste in-Podolosky-Rosen experiment.
II . Title.
OC174.12 .A38 1998
530. 12--dc21
1.
Se l lar
t ,
Franco.
2. Nuclear physics.
98-43177
CIP
ISBN 978-1-4899-0256-6
ISBN 978-1-4899-0254-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-0254-2
©
Springer Science+Business Media New York 1999
Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1999.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover Ist edition 1999
http ://www.plenum .com
All rights reserved
10987654321
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transm itted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical. photocopying, microfilming,
recording , or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
Preface
"Paradox" conjures up arrows and tortoises. But it has a speculative,
gedanken
ring: no one would dream of really conjuring up Achilles to confirm that he
catches the tortoise. The paradox of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, however, is
capable of empirical test. Attempted experimental resolutions have involved
photons, but these are not detected often enough to settle the matter. Kaons are
easier to detect and will soon be used to discriminate between quantum
mechanics and local realism.
The existence of an objective physical reality, which had disappeared behind
the impressive formalism of quantum mechanics, was originally intended to be
the central issue of the paradox; locality, like the mathematics used, was just
assumed to hold. Quantum mechanics, with its incompatible measurements, was
born rather by chance in an atmosphere of great positivistic zeal, in which only
the obviously measurable had scientific respectability. Speculation about occult
"unobservable" quantities was viewed as vacuous metaphysics, which should
surely form no part of a mature scientific attitude. Soon the "unmeasurable, "
once only disreputable, vanished altogether. One had first been told not to worry
about it; then, as dogma got more carefully defined, one was assured that the
unobserved was just not there. This made it easier not to think about it and to
avoid hazardous metaphysical temptation.
If a theory indicates, in such a climate, that two quantities cannot be
measured at the same time, a first, moderate reaction, is exclusive interest in
one or the other. Only one can be "implemented" at a time, so why worry about
both together? The next step, once one has got used to the first, is to clear up the
ontological background by doing away with the complementary quantity alto-
gether.
It
is wrong to say that it had a precise reality before measurement, for the
situation before measurement was unmeasured. What little there is of reality has
to be invoked by measurement, and complementary realities cannot be invoked
together.
Common sense suggested that measurement revealed the value of one
quantity in an imperfectly described reality while it disturbed others; according
v

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