How do most practicing physicists regard foundations of quantum mechanics as a topic of study? - by Richard Muller - Quora Question Review

This document contains a review of the answer - by Richard Muller on the question in Quora: "How do most practicing physicists regard foundations of quantum mechanics as a topic of study? "
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Contents

Reflection

1. Answer Review

“Foundations of quantum mechanics” is a fascinating topic for study but which has very poor job prospects. It is done, primarily, by faculty who have tenured positions and switched over from more mundane issues like elementary particle physics.

Feynman suggested that you avoid thinking hard on this subject, “… or you will go down the drain.” I believe that what inspired this thought is that the field is dominated by the few and the arcane, and they have had remarkably little impact on physics, while at the same time believing that they are at the forefront. They may be. But there has been little truly accomplished over the past 50 years, and although a breakthrough could happen any time (the experiment LIGO just experienced such a history), the odds are against you. If you want to read and study this subject informally, it is wonderful. Just don’t expect to earn an income doing so, unless you already have tenure.

I agree with you, but I'm to 'old' to worry about this.
Part of the problem is that many issues, specific the mathematical side are very tricky.

3.

Reflection 1 - Question Review: How do most practicing physicists regard foundations of quantum mechanics as a topic of study?

I'm not a practicing physicists, but I think that the study (trying to understand) of the foundations of quantum mechanics is very important.
My own assumption is that quantum mechanics (the study of the behaviour of elementary particles) is in reality the study of physical processes and these processes, how they evolve in all its detail, can never be very complicated. How can nature be complicated? Do you really need complex numbers? Does the wave function teaches you any thing? Is the collapse of the wave function realistic? How important is the Schrödinger's Cat paradox? In fact understanding stops at a certain level of detail (which can be argued).

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Created: 1 June 2023

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