Abstract

Bohmian mechanics also known as de Broglie-Bohm theory is the most popular alternative approach to quantum mechanics. Whereas the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics is based on the complementarity principle Bohmian mechanics assumes that both particle and wave are concrete physical objects. In 1993 Peter Holland has written an ardent account on the plausibility of the de Broglie-Bohm theory. He proved that it fully reproduces quantum mechanics if the initial particle distribution is consistent with a solution of the Schrödinger equation. Which may be the reasons that Bohmian mechanics has not yet found global acceptance? In this article it will be shown that predicted properties of atoms and molecules are in conflict with experimental findings. Moreover it will be demonstrated that repeatedly published ensembles of trajectories illustrating double slit diffraction processes do not agree with quantum mechanics. The credibility of a theory is undermined when recognizably wrong data presented frequently over years are finally not declared obsolete.

Highlights

  • Ever since Einstein, Podolski and Rosen [1] asked whether quantum mechanics is complete, physicists have tried to find hidden parameters which are revealed by measurement processes

  • John Bell himself emphasized that Bohmian mechanics [4] is exempted from this verdict because this theory uses non-local hidden parameters

  • Bohmian mechanics belongs to the coexistence models

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Summary

Introduction

Ever since Einstein, Podolski and Rosen [1] asked whether quantum mechanics is complete, physicists have tried to find hidden parameters which are revealed by measurement processes. In 1964 John Bell [2] made it feasible to discriminate local hidden-parameter theories from quantum mechanics. John Bell himself emphasized that Bohmian mechanics [4] is exempted from this verdict because this theory uses non-local hidden parameters. For a given quantum state Bohmian trajectories are derived from the associated Schrodinger wave function, which depends on the local potential but on its overall shape. The momentum p of a particle is given by p(x) = ∇S(x) when the corresponding Schrodinger wave function ψ(x) is written in the form ψ(x) = R(x)eiS(x)/. As shown by Holland [5] the local flux distribution of the Schrodinger wave function agrees with the flux of the associated ensemble of Bohmian trajectories.

Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
Bohmian mechanics
Findings
Meaning of standing wave
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