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!
Author: rekastner
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
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
The ‘Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser’ Neither Erases Nor Delays
The so-called 'quantum eraser' is an experiment that has prompted widespread confusion. In fact, it is nothing more than a photonic version of the EPR experiment. Nothing is erased, and there is no necessary retrocausation or 'temporal nonlocality,' beyond standard EPR correlations. I attempt to clear up the confusion in this paper, which has now … Continue reading The ‘Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser’ Neither Erases Nor Delays