Is There Really “Retrocausation” in Time-Symmetric Approaches to Quantum Mechanics?

This is a preprint version of this paper: AIP Conference Proceedings 1841, 020002 (2017) R. E. Kastner Abstract. Time-symmetric interpretations of quantum theory are often presented as featuring "retrocausal" effects in addition to the usual forward notion of causation. This paper examines the ontological implications of certain time- symmetric theories, and finds that no dynamical notion … Continue reading Is There Really “Retrocausation” in Time-Symmetric Approaches to Quantum Mechanics? →

Paper with John Cramer on Absorption in TI

I recently co-authored a paper with Transactional Interpretation (TI) originator John G. Cramer, which derives the Born Rule (quantum probability rule) for radiative processes (emission and absorption) in a simple and transparent way, based on the Wheeler-Feynman-Davies'absorber' theory of radiation. It also shows that absorption is indeed perfectly well-defined in TI (contrary to skeptical claims … Continue reading Paper with John Cramer on Absorption in TI →

On the Status of the Measurement Problem: Recalling the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation

In a nutshell, the measurement problem (MP) is this: given an interaction among quantum systems (such as an unstable atom, atoms comprising a Geiger Counter, atoms comprising a vial of gas, a cat, a friend of Wigner, etc.), which of those interactions constitutes ‘measurement,’ and why? During the past several decades, worries about the MP … Continue reading On the Status of the Measurement Problem: Recalling the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation →