The quantum-to-classical transition: Bohr's doctrine of classical concepts, emergent classicality, and decoherence

Details The quantum-to-classical transition: Bohr's doctrine of classical concepts, emergent classicality, and decoherence The quantum-to-classical transition: Bohr's doctrine of classical concepts, emergent classicality, and decoherence

2008-04-10

arxiv.org/abs/0804.1609v1

Physics

Quantum Physics

37 pages, uses elsart.bst. Submitted to Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics

Scientific paper

It is now widely accepted that environmental entanglement and the resulting decoherence processes play a crucial role in the quantum-to-classical transition and the emergence of "classicality" from quantum mechanics. To this extent, decoherence is often understood as signifying a break with the Copenhagen interpretation, and in particular with Bohr's view of the indispensability of classical concepts. This paper analyzes the relationship between Bohr's understanding of the quantum-classical divide and his doctrine of classical concepts and the decoherence-based program of emergent classicality. By drawing on Howard's reconstruction of Bohr's doctrine of classical concepts, and by paying careful attention to a hitherto overlooked disagreement between Heisenberg and Bohr in the 1930s about the placement of the quantum-classical "cut," we show that Bohr's view of the quantum-classical divide can be physically justified by appealing to decoherence. We also discuss early anticipations of the role of the environment in the quantum-classical problem in Heisenberg's writings. Finally, we distinguish four different formulations of the doctrine of classical concepts in an effort to present a more nuanced assessment of the relationship between Bohr's views and decoherence that challenges oversimplified statements frequently found in the literature.

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