What is it about?
The prevailing (Copenhagen) interpretation of quantum physics assumes that measured values only arise during a measurement without further cause. If this were true, a correlation between the outcomes of measurements as is the case with entangled photons would demand nonlocal effects. Einstein could not accept this and described these effects as spooky action at a distance. John Bell published a theorem in 1965, after it was not possible to describe the results of polarization measurements with entangled photons using local hidden parameters. This theorem has been refuted with a model based on local hidden parameters that correctly predicts the results of polarization measurements in accordance with quantum physics. So there is no reason to consider spooky action at a distance. An updated version of this article with error corrections can be found on ResearchGate DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29860.22403 with the title "On a contextual model refuting Bell's Theorem"
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Why is it important?
The topic is in public discussion. In short distance messages appear about the experimental violation of Bell's inequality with the tenor "Finally proved, spooky action at a distance exists". In contrast to these messages, there is now an opposite position. There is more to it, namely the elucidation of the structure of light. After models are possible that can describe the behaviour of photons in detail, this field can be further researched.
Perspectives
If there is no reason for the assumption of remote action, the measured values do not arise during the measurement, but are already defined before. That means quantum mechanics does not violate the principle of causality, at least for polarization measurements. There are no effects in this case without cause. That also means that a polarization measurement is a selection from an ensemble and thus supports Einstein's view of the meaning of the wave function as a description of an ensemble. It follows that nature has properties that exist independently of us and of any observers. Even if the presented theory does not depict all the effects of quantum physics, it provides insights on the way to a complete theory that replaces the formalism of quantum mechanics one day, as Einstein had expected.
Eugen Muchowski
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Measurement problem and local hidden variables with entangled photons, Open Physics, December 2017, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1515/phys-2017-0106.
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