The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: The Reality of Possibility

A comprehensive exposition of the transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics (TI), this book sheds new light on longstanding problems in quantum theory and provides insight into the compatibility of TI with relativity. It breaks new ground in interpreting quantum theory, presenting a compelling new picture of quantum reality. The book shows how TI can be used to solve the measurement problem of quantum mechanics and explain other puzzles, such as the origin of the ‘Born Rule’ for the probabilities of measurement results. It addresses and resolves various objections and challenges to TI, such as Maudlin’s inconsistency challenge. It explicitly extends TI into the relativistic domain, providing new insight into the basic compatibility of TI with relativity and the physical meaning of ‘virtual particles’. This book is ideal for researchers and graduate students interested in the philosophy of physics and the interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: quantum peculiarities
Chapter 2 The map vs. the territory
Chapter 3 The original TI: fundamentals
Chapter 4 The new TI: possibilist transactional interpretation
Chapter 5 Challenges, replies, and applications
Chapter 6 PTI and relativity
Chapter 7 The metaphysics of possibility in PTI
Chapter 8 PTI and “spacetime”
Chapter 9 Epilogue: more than meets the eye
Appendix A: Details of transactions in polarizer-type experiments
Appendix B: Feynman path amplitude
Appendix C: Berkovitz contingent absorber experiment