Consecutive measurements and modal interpretations

J. S. ARDENGHI; O. LOMBARDI; M. NARVAJA

Atenas

Congreso; European Philosophy of Science Association EPSA; 2011

Departamento de Filosofía e historia de la ciencia, Universidad de Atenas

The correlations between the outcomes of consecutive measurements are an issue strongly entrenched in the quantum knowledge of practicing physicists. They usually explain these correlations in a simple manner by means of the collapse hypothesis. On the other hand, since modal interpretations are no-collapse interpretations, they need an alternative explanation for those experimental results. In this paper we will argue that consecutive measurements are not a threat for modal interpretations since collapse is not indispensable for explaining the correlations arising in that experimental situation. Nevertheless, the same argument will show that modal interpretations need to revise the role assigned to reduced states in their interpretative framework.