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Einstein's Dissatisfaction with Nonrelativistic Quantum Mechanics and Relativistic Quantum Field Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Miklós Rédei
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Abstract

It is argued that in his critique of standard nonrelativistic quantum mechanics Einstein formulated three requirements as necessary for a physical theory to be compatible with the field-theorectical paradigm, and it is shown that local, relativistic, algebraic quantum field theory typically satisfies those criteria—although, there are still open questions concerning the status of operational separability of quantum systems localized in spacelike separated space-time regions. It is concluded that local algebraic quantum field theory can be viewed as a research program that Einstein suggested informally in 1948 and that was realized only later in mathematical physics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 77 , Issue 5 , December 2010 , pp. 1042 - 1057
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

‡

This work was supported in part by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA), contract K68043.

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