Entangled histories

We introduce quantum history states and their mathematical framework, thereby reinterpreting and extending the consistent histories approach to quantum theory. Through thought experiments, we demonstrate that our formalism allows us to analyze a quantum version of history in which we reconstruct the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cotler, Jordan S., Wilczek, Frank
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: IOP Publishing 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/108513
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6489-6155
Description
Summary:We introduce quantum history states and their mathematical framework, thereby reinterpreting and extending the consistent histories approach to quantum theory. Through thought experiments, we demonstrate that our formalism allows us to analyze a quantum version of history in which we reconstruct the past by observations. In particular, we can pass from measurements to inferences about 'what happened' in a way that is sensible and free of paradox. Our framework allows for a richer understanding of the temporal structure of quantum theory, and we construct history states that embody peculiar, non-classical correlations in time.