Ruth E. Kastner
Email: rkastner@umd.edu
Author Website: ruthekastner.org
Blog: transactionalinterpretation.org
EDUCATION
Ph.D., History and Philosophy of Science, University of Maryland, College Park; August, 1999.
M.S., Physics, University of Maryland, College Park; May, 1992.
B.S., Physics, cum laude with High Honors in Physics, University of Maryland, College Park; May, 1982.
B.M.Ed., Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; 1979.
State of Virginia Teaching Certification in Physics (Postgraduate Professional License), 2005-2010.
SELECTED EMPLOYMENT
Spring 2022: Visiting Fellow, Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, PA.
1999-present: Research Associate, Department of Philosophy, University of Maryland, College Park; member, Foundations of Physics Group, UMCP.
Fall, 2004 – Spring, 2014: Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland University College, College Park, MD (Humanities and Philosophy instructor; principal author of PHIL336 course rewrite: “Ideas Facing the 21st Century”.) In 2010, served on faculty teams to develop Course Outcome and Teaching Guides for courses redesigned under UMUC’s SEGUE program.
2001: Adjunct Assistant Professor, United States Naval Academy (Philosophy of Science);
AWARDS
University of Maryland Alumni Research Award, 2021 (one of three recipients).
Fall, 2003: National Science Foundation Grant 01-159 , Science and Technology Studies Program, award no. SES-0323201.
Fall, 2001: National Science Foundation Grant 97-142, Science and Technology Studies Program, award no. SES-0115185.
BOOKS
The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: A Relativistic Treatment. Cambridge University Press (2022). (2nd Edition of Kastner, 2012)
Adventures in Quantumland: Exploring Our Unseen Reality. World Scientific; April, 2019.
Understanding Our Unseen Reality: Solving Quantum Riddles. Imperial College Press (2015).
The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: The Reality of Possibility. Cambridge University Press (2012).
Editor (with J. Jeknic-Dugic and G. Jaroszkiewicz), Quantum Structural Studies. World Scientific Publishers, Singapore (2016).
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
“Unitary interactions do not yield outcomes: attempting to model Wigner’s Friend,” Foundations of Physics DOI: 10.1007/s10701-021-00492-3 (2021).
“Decoherence in the Transactional Interpretation,” International Journal of Quantum Foundations 6, 2:24-39 (2020).
“Unitary-Only Quantum Theory Cannot Consistently Describe the Use of Itself: On the Frauchiger-Renner Paradox.” Foundations of Physics 50, 441-456 (2020).
“The ‘Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser’ Neither Erases Nor Delays,” Foundations of Physics 49, 717-727 (2019).
“Quantifying Absorption in the Transactional Interpretation,” with John G. Cramer, Int’l Jour. Quan. Foundations, Vol. 4, Issue 3, 210-222 (2018).
“Are Dark Matter and Dark Energy Aspects of the Same Physical Process?” with Stuart Kauffman. Front. Phys., 13 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2018.00071 (2018)
“On the Status of the Measurement Problem: Recalling the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation,” Int’l Jour. Quan. Foundations, Volume 4, Issue 1, pages 128-141 (2018).
“The Relativistic Transactional Interpretation: Immune to the Maudlin Challenge,” in Probing the Meaning and Structure of Quantum Mechanics. D. Aerts, M.L. Dalla Chiara, C. de Ronde and D. Krause (Eds.), World Scientific, Singapore (2018). arXiv:1610.04609
“Are Dark Matter and Dark Energy Different Aspects of the Same Physical Process?” Frontiers in Physics (2018) https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2018.00071.
“Taking Heisenberg’s Potentia Seriously,” with Stuart Kauffman and Michael Epperson, IJQF 4:2, 158-172 (2018).
“From Quantum to Classical Physics: The Role of Distinguishability,” in Quantum Worlds, ed. O. Lombardi et al (Cambridge University Press, 2018). arXiv:1707.09034
| “On Quantum Non-Unitarity as a Basis for the Second Law of Thermodynamics,” Entropy 19(3) (2017). arXiv:1612.08734 |
“Demystifying Weak Measurements,” Found Phys 47: 697. (2017).
“Violations of the Born Rule: Implications for Macroscopic Fields,” International Journal of Quantum Foundations 2(3), pp. 121-126. (2016). arXiv:1603.05301
“The Emergence of Spacetime: Transactions and Causal Sets,” in Licata, I. (Ed.), Beyond Peaceful Coexistence. Singapore: World Scientific (2016). arXiv:1411.2072
“The Transactional Interpretation: an Overview,” Philosophy Compass 11(12), 923-932. (2016). arXiv:1608.00660
“Antimatter in the direct-action theory of fields,” Quanta 5(1), pp. 12-18. (2016). arXiv:1509.06040
“The Born Rule and Free Will,” in C. DeRonde et al (Eds). Probing the Meaning of Quantum Mechanics: Superposition, Dynamics, Semantics and Identity. Singapore: World Scientific (2016), pp. 231-243.. Preprint version: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/11893
“Is There Really “Retrocausation” in Time-Symmetric Approaches to Quantum Mechanics?”
Forthcoming in Proceedings of the AAAS Pacific Division meeting, San Diego (2016). arXiv:1607.04196
“Haag’s Theorem as a Reason to Reconsider Direct-Action Theories,” International Journal of Quantum Foundations 1(2), pp. 56-64. (2015). arXiv:1502.03814
“Einselection of Pointer Observables: The New H-Theorem?” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 48: 56–58. (2014). Preprint version: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/10757/
“Maudlin’s Challenge Refuted: A Reply to Lewis,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 47: 15-20 (2014). Preprint version: http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2791
“On Real and Virtual Photons in the Davies Theory of Time-Symmetric Quantum Electrodynamics,” Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics 11, No. 30 (2014) 75–86. Preprint version: http://arxiv.org/abs/1312.4007
“The Possibilist Transactional Interpretation and Relativity,” Foundations of Physics 42, 1094-1113 (2012)
“On Delayed Choice and Contingent Absorber Experiments,” ISRN Mathematical Physics. doi:10.5402/2012/617291 (2012)
“De Broglie Waves as the “Bridge of Becoming” Between Quantum Theory and Relativity,” Foundations of Science, doi:10.1007/s10699-011-9273-4 (2011).
“Quantum Nonlocality: Not Eliminated by the Heisenberg Picture,” Foundations of Physics 41, 1137-1142 (2011).
“The Quantum Liar Experiment in Cramer’s Transactional Interpretation,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 41, 86-92 (2010).
“On Visibility in the Afshar Two-Slit Experiment,” Foundations of Physics 39, 1139-1144 (2009).
“Cramer’s Transactional Interpretation and Causal Loop Problems, “ Synthese 150, 1-14. (2006).
“Why the Afshar Experiment Does Not Refute Complementarity,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 36, 649-658. (2005)
“Shutters, Boxes, but no Paradoxes: Time Symmetry Puzzles in Quantum Theory,”
International Studies in Philosophy of Science 1, 89-94. (2004).
“Weak Values and Consistent Histories in Quantum Theory,” Studies in History
and Philosophy of Modern Physics 35, 57-71 (2004).
“The Nature of the Controversy Over Time-Symmetric Quantum Counterfactuals,” Philosophy of Science 70, 145-163 (2003).
“Comment on Mohrhoff’s ‘What Quantum Mechanics is Trying to Tell Us,’” American Journal of Physics 69, 860 (2001).
“A Critical Look at Time-Symmetric Quantum Counterfactuals,” contributed paper, Philosophy of Science Association Conference, Vancouver, B.C.; April, 2000.
“The Three-Box Paradox and Other Reasons to Reject the Counterfactual Usage of the ABL Rule,” Foundations of Physics 29, 851-863 (1999).
“TSQT ‘Elements of Possibility’?,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 30, 399-402 (1999).
“Time-Symmetrized Quantum Theory, Counterfactuals, and ‘Advanced Action’,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 30, 237-259 (1999).
“Time-Symmetrized Quantum Theory and Counterfactuals,” Fortschritte der Physik 46, 881-887 (1998); special focus issue: Fundamental Problems in Quantum Theory, University of Maryland Baltimore County, August 4-7, 1997.
“Geometrical Phase Effects and Bohm’s Quantum Potential,” in Fundamental Problems in Quantum Theory: A Conference in Honor of John A. Wheeler; eds. D. Greenberger and A. Zeilinger, Annals of New York Academy of Sciences vol. 755, 866-7 (1995).
“Geometrical Quantum Phase Effect and Bohm’s Quantum Potential,” American Journal of Physics 61, 852 (1993).
Book review of David Albert’s Time and Chance, Philosophy of Science 69, 400-404 (2002).
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Invited Speaker: “Identify, Individuality, Indistinguishability,” Online Workshop sponsored by G. Catren and F. Holik, University of Buenos Aires, Oct. 6-8, 2021. Topic: “”The Advent of Individuality as the Quantum/Classical Threshold: A Transactional Account.”
Invited Speaker: New Directions in Physics, Conference sponsored by the University of Maryland Foundations of Physics Group (Jeffrey Bub, organizer). Converted to a series of Colloquia for 2021 (due to COVID). June 24, 2021. Topic: “Decoherence in the Transactional Interpretation.”
Invited Speaker: Centre for Quantum Technologies Symposium #13, University of Singapore, January 6, 2021. Talk title: “Quantum Paradoxes”
Invited Speaker: Copenhagen Interpretation and Beyond, Chapman University, Orange, CA. Oct. 18-19, 2019.
Invited Speaker, International Workshop: The Conceptual Foundations of Science: Rethinking Matter, Life, Mind. Parmenides Foundation, Tegernsee, Germany, Sept. 19, 2018.
Invited Speaker, “The Transactional Interpretation and its Relativistic Extension.”
Lecture Series on Foundations of Science: Scientific Realism, University of Vienna, Austria, June 21, 2018.
Invited Speaker, Quantum Mechanics Meets Neuroscience. Foundations of Mind, California Institute for Integral Studies, San Francisco, January 27, 2017.
Invited Speaker, International Workshop: Identity, Indistinguishability and Non-locality in Quantum Physics. Philosophy of Science Group, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 26-30, 2017.
Invited Speaker: Mind, Matter and the New Real, Esalen Center for Teaching and Research, Big Sur, CA; Dec. 3-8, 2017.
Invited Speaker: Workshop on Retrocausal Approaches in Quantum Theory, AAAS Conference, San Diego, CA; June 15-16, 2016. Paper in proceedings: “Is there really retrocausation in time-symmetric theories of quantum mechanics?” arXiv:1607.04196
Invited Speaker: Workshop, Scientific Realism About the Quantum State. University of Leeds, UK, Sept. 9, 2015. (http://juha-saatsi.org/realism-and-quantum/workshops/)
Invited Speaker: “Free Will and Retrocausality in the Quantum World,” a conference under the auspices of the JTF-funded project, New Agendas for the Study of Time, Trinity College, Cambridge, 1-4 July 2014 (http://prce.hu/centre_for_time/jtf/retro.html)
Invited Speaker: 2013 Växjö Conference on Foundations of Physics: “Quantum Theory: Advances and Problems,” Växjö, Sweden, June 2013.
Invited Speaker: “The Broken Symmetry of Time,” AAAS Conference on Retrocausation, June 13-14, 2011; University of San Diego; AIP Conf. Proc. 1408, pp. 7-21; doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3663714.
Invited Speaker: Workshop on Retrocausality and Time Symmetry, University of Miami. Organizer: Peter Lewis. January 12, 2011.
Invited Speaker: “Cramer’s Transactional Interpretation and the Quantum Liar Experiment,” Retirement symposium for Prof. Cramer, Seattle, WA; Sept. 10-11, 2009.
Invited Speaker: “Weak Values and Cramer’s Transactional Interpretation,” Conference on
Time-Symmetry and Quantum Mechanics, July 23-26, 2005; University of Sydney. Published in Proceedings: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 39, 806-818 (2008).
OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Guest Post, George Musser’s Scientific American Weblog, “Critical Opalescence”, June 21, 2012. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/critical-opalescence/can-we-resolve-quantum-paradoxes-by-stepping-out-of-space-and-time-guest-post/
Guest Post, NPR: “Quantum Physics and the Need for a New Paradigm,” https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/09/27/443899221/quantum-physics-and-the-need-for-a-new-paradigm
Video Interviews:
With Jeffrey Mishlove, New Thinking Allowed:
“Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics,” https://youtu.be/36xRVZDoJy0
“The Reality of Possibility,” https://youtu.be/OMWJU-nDkKY
“Time’s Arrow and Free Will,” https://youtu.be/OMWJU-nDkKY
With Deepak Chopra, Curious Minds (preview version): https://youtu.be/GLj3hWNGkYQ
With Zain Khan, The Query: https://www.zainkhan.org/tag/quantum/
Presentation at Chapman University Workshop: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cib-2019/cib/schedule/10/
Presentation at Buenos Aires Workshop: https://youtu.be/kvXYmB2qj88
Presentation at Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop, Oct. 2018: https://youtu.be/pVx6kFW26m4
Podcast Interview: Starytime, http://starytime.weebly.com/stary-time-podcast/episode-008-dr-ruth-kastner-unseen-realities (interview begins at 15 min)
Podcast Interview: Coast to Coast A.M., https://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/kastner-ruth/73418
Podcast Interview: Adam Alonzi, https://www.listennotes.com/da/podcasts/adam-alonzi-podcast/our-unseen-reality-the-uraE579y6OZ/
Podcasts:
Appearance and Reality 1,
Appearance and Reality 2, https://transactionalinterpretation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/appearance_and_reality2a.mp3
Educational animation (with Science Animated): “Quantumland and Transactions,” https://youtu.be/3J9JeJMAOBw
Referee services for Synthese, Philosophy of Science, Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, Foundations of Physics, Southern Journal of Philosophy, Foundations of Science, Entropy, International Studies in Philosophy of Science, International Journal of Quantum Foundations.
Transactional Interpretation 