Central and East European
Society for Phenomenology

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A formal framework for the study of the notion of undefined particle number in quantum mechanics

Newton C.A. da Costa Federico Holik

pp. 505-523

Abstract

It is usually stated that quantum mechanics presents problems with the identity of particles, the most radical position—supported by E. Schrödinger—asserting that elementary particles are not individuals. But the subject goes deeper, and it is even possible to obtain states with an undefined particle number. In this work we present a set theoretical framework for the description of undefined particle number states in quantum mechanics which provides a precise logical meaning for this notion. This construction goes in the line of solving a problem posed by Y. Manin, namely, to incorporate quantum mechanical notions at the foundations of mathematics. We also show that our system is capable of representing quantum superpositions.

Publication details

Published in:

(2015) Synthese 192 (2).

Pages: 505-523

DOI: 10.1007/s11229-014-0583-2

Full citation:

da Costa Newton C.A., Holik Federico (2015) „A formal framework for the study of the notion of undefined particle number in quantum mechanics“. Synthese 192 (2), 505–523.