The outcomes of measurements in the de Broglie–Bohm theory

Abstract

Within the de Broglie–Bohm (dBB) theory, the measurement process and the determination of its outcome are usually discussed in terms of the effect of the Bohmian positions of the measured system S. This article shows that the Bohmian positions associated with the measurement apparatus M can actually play a crucial role in the determination of the result of measurement. Indeed, in many cases, the result is practically independent of the initial value of a Bohmian position associated with S, and determined only by those of M. The measurement then does not reveal the value of any pre-existing variable attached to S, but just the initial state of the measurement apparatus. Quantum contextuality then appears with particular clarity as a consequence of the dBB dynamics for entangled systems.

Keywords

• quantum measurement
• de Broglie–Bohm theory