Settling an old dispute between Einstein and Bohr

Two different interpretations of the laws of quantum physics were a source of great controversy between Einstein and Niels Bohr. New research strengthens Bohr’s quantum theories, writes science news site insciences.org.

The new research, conducted in collaboration between Michael M. Wolf, professor of theoretical quantum physics at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen and the Department of Mathematical Analysis at the Complutense University of Madrid, reassesses the historic dispute over the (in-)completeness of quantum mechanics.

The results strengthen Bohr’s position by showing that any hypothetical theory that would be ’more complete’ than quantum mechanics, is necessarily in opposition to Einstein’s principle that things can only function locally.

From the early days of quantum mechanics, Albert Einstein was dissatisfied with the statistical nature of quantum mechanics, and the fact that certain observations such as location and time cannot be simultaneously measured with any accuracy.

Old old argument

Einstein especially challenged the newly developed ’Copenhagen Interpretation’ of quantum mechanics at the fifth Solvay Conference in Brussels in 1927 by creating a series of hypothetical experiments.

They were all concerned with a common measurement of observations that are irreconcilable, according to the new theory of quantum mechanics.

However, during the conference Niels Bohr was able to refute all of Einstein’s proposed examples by revealing gaps and inconsistencies in Einstein’s reasoning.

The dispute between Einstein and Bohr continued and culminated in 1935 when Einstein, together with B. Podolsky and N. Rosen, argued that it makes sense to ascribe values to irreconcilable observations.

Later, A. Aspect among others disproved Einstein’s claims.

Future theories

Today Bohr’s theories are generally accepted and we know that a complete theory in the sense that Einstein argued for is in opposition with experiments, and with Einstein’s own principles.

However, one question remained, whether there could be a theory, which is more complete than quantum mechanics, but still incomplete enough to be in agreement with Einstein’s principle. The new results all answer no to this question.

»Our findings not only close the past discussion. They also tell us something about theories of the future – how theories that go beyond quantum mechanics should be. It makes no sense to look for theories that are more deterministic, that is to say more certain than quantum mechanics. If we stick to Einstein’s principles, we have to accept a lot of fuzziness«, explains Michael M. Wolf, professor at the Niels Bohr Institute.

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