Unacceptability of the Pauli-Jordan propagator in physical applications of quantum mechanics

Abstract

Recent discussions on the theoretical possibility of superluminal influences between independent measurements in EPRtype experiments (a possibility which results from quantum theory but, pending Aspeet 's and Rapisarda's experimental results arc not yet firmly established) have reached a crucial stage with Costa do Beauregard's explicit proposal (1) to utilize the Pauli-Jordan propagator to move information backward into time. As is known, he has proposed to (~ telegraph into the past ~ by moving an advanced potential from the measurement-event A to the source S, followed by a retarded one from S to B. (See fig. 1.) Clearly this process (or the opposite one) is not equivalent to sending negative energy from A to S, i.e. to shoot negative energy in a backward t ime direction (2). Indeed following EINST~I~r and F~YN~A~ this would be equivalent to the creation of a particle-antiparticle pair at S with positive energy flowing forward in time, as usual, and would constitute no change with respect to the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics which leads to violations of Bell 's inequality (3). What in reali ty COSTA D~ BEAUREGARD now claims using the Pauli-Jordan propagator is that one can send positive energy backward into time, so that positive energy can travel from A to S (and from S to B) in an overall eovariant process. As one knows the Pauli-Jordan propagator is given by