Welcome! Here you will find information about the latest, relativistic version of the transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, 'RTI', blog posts, and an opportunity for informal discussion. The transactional interpretation (TI) is a new way of understanding what's behind the formalism of quantum physics. I'm pleased to announce the formation of a new non-profit research … Continue reading Welcome!
My guest post on George Musser’s Sci Am Blog
Happy New Year! …and the latest on RTI
I'm celebrating the advent of 2021 with a post featuring the very latest theoretical developments supporting the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation (RTI): The Relativistic Transactional Interpretation and The Quantum Direct-Action Theory This material is based on Chapter 5 of the forthcoming 2nd Edition of my book The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: The Reality of Possibility … Continue reading Happy New Year! …and the latest on RTI
Announcing: The Quantum Institute
It is with great excitement that I announce the creation of a new independent, non-profit academic research institute: The Quantum Institute. We are in the early stages of organization, but already moving ahead with some exciting research. Visit our new site to learn about what we're doing!
A Common Worry About TI and Why It’s Not a Problem
In this post, I address a question that pops up from time to time as a possible objection to the transactional picture. The scenario involves a very distant star that engages in a transaction with a person’s eye, so that they see the star as it existed billions of years ago. But suppose the star … Continue reading A Common Worry About TI and Why It’s Not a Problem
Latest incarnation of the Schrödinger Cat Paradox forces a new view of quantum theory
I’ve updated this post since this paper is now published in Foundations of Physics, at this link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10701-020-00336-6
A recent paper by Frauchiger and Renner has brought to light a serious problem with conventional approaches to quantum theory, by deriving a contradiction using those approaches. In FR Paradox Kastner 10.17.19 I argue that the paradox shows that quantum theory leads to absurdities and inconsistencies unless there is a clear physical criterion for ‘measurement’. This is a draft, so comments welcome!
Demystifying the Afshar Experiment
The Afshar experiment (2005 ) is a lovely variant on the famous two-slit experiment. In this experiment, a grid is placed at the location of the dark fringes in what would be an interference pattern, but downstream from that location, the photon beam is subjected to a "which slit" measurement by way of lenses. However, … Continue reading Demystifying the Afshar Experiment
Review of Adventures in Quantumland by “Jehannum” (amazon.com)
A review from UK reader "Jehannum" was recently posted on the amazon.com page for my recent book Adventures in Quantumland: Exploring Our Unseen Reality (WSP, 2019). I reproduce it below: ***************** 5.0 out of 5 stars This book provides a revolutionary understanding of quantum physics. It's common to come out of a study of quantum … Continue reading Review of Adventures in Quantumland by “Jehannum” (amazon.com)
Why the Quantum Absorber Condition is Not a Light-Tight Box
(This is a preprint version of a technical paper. I'm making it available here in addition to the usual preprint servers. Questions/comments welcome.) Click here for the paper: Light Tight Box Preprint Abstract: This paper discusses the nature of the boundary condition applying to the direct-action theory of fields, also known as the 'absorber' theory, … Continue reading Why the Quantum Absorber Condition is Not a Light-Tight Box
A chat on TI with Jeffrey Mishlove
It's always a pleasure to talk with Jeffrey Mishlove. In this interview we talked about the Transactional Interpretation and related ideas: https://youtu.be/E6NNWdVCQZU
Quantum Paradoxes: To Resolve or To Acquiesce?
I gave a talk on the Transactional Interpretation and how it solves quantum paradoxes at the "Copenhagen and Beyond" Conference at Chapman University, CA (Oct. 18, 2019). The title was "Quantum Paradoxes: To Resolve or To Acquiesce?" It can be found here: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cib-2019/cib/schedule/10/
Latest incarnation of the Schrödinger Cat Paradox forces a new view of quantum theory
A recent paper by Frauchiger and Renner has brought to light a serious problem with conventional approaches to quantum theory, by deriving a contradiction using those approaches. In FR Paradox Kastner 10.17.19 I argue that the paradox shows that quantum theory leads to absurdities and inconsistencies unless there is a clear physical criterion for 'measurement'. … Continue reading Latest incarnation of the Schrödinger Cat Paradox forces a new view of quantum theory