Objective interpretations of quantum mechanics and the possibility of a deterministic limit

Abstract

Examines a suggestion by Bell (1984) that a deterministic model might be furnished by the continuum limit of an objective stochastic model which he has proposed for quantum field theory on a lattice. The virtues of models of Bell's type for general quantum systems are discussed, and it is shown that for a system of a fixed number of particles such a model does yield the deterministic de Broglie-Bohm model in an appropriate limit. It is argued, however, that a deterministic limit is unlikely to emerge from a quantum field theory capable of describing particle production and decay. An interpretation of quantum field theory is proposed which has the advantages of Bell's interpretation but is closer to conventional quantum mechanics.