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International Journal of Quantum Foundations

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You are here: Home ∼ Reply to Norsen’s paper “Are there really two different Bell’s theorems?”

Reply to Norsen’s paper “Are there really two different Bell’s theorems?”

Published by International Journal of Quantum Foundations on March 24, 2015 | 1 Response

Volume 1, Issue 2, pages 85-99

Howard M. Wiseman [Show Biography] and Eleanor G. Rieffel [Show Biography]

Howard Wiseman is a theoretical physicist known for his work in quantum foundations, quantum information, and quantum measurement and control. He did his BSc Hons (1991) and PhD (1992-4) with Gerard Milburn at the University of Queensland, and a postdoc (1994-6) with Dan Walls FRS at the University of Auckland. He has published over 200 refereed papers, and a 2010 Cambridge textbook (with Milburn). He has won the Bragg Medal (AIP), the Pawsey Medal (AAS), and the Malcolm Macintosh Medal (PM’s science prizes). He is a Fellow of the AAS, and of the American Physical Society. He has been Director of the Centre for Quantum Dynamics at Griffith University since 2007.
Eleanor G. Rieffel explores algorithm design and fundamental questions in quantum computation as a leader of NASA’s QuAIL team. After receiving her Ph.D. in mathematics from UCLA, and serving as a mathematics post-doc at USC, she joined FXPAL where she performed research in diverse fields including quantum computation, applied cryptography, bioinformatics, and robotics. She joined NASA Ames Research Center in 2012 to work on their expanding quantum computing effort. Her book, Quantum Computing: A Gentle Introduction, with coauthor Wolfgang Polak was published by MIT press in the spring of 2011, and has received stellar reviews.

Yes. That is my polemical reply to the titular question in Travis Norsen’s self-styled “polemical response to Howard Wiseman’s recent paper.” Less polemically, I am pleased to see that on two of my positions — that Bell’s 1964 theorem is different from Bell’s 1976 theorem, and that the former does not include Bell’s one-paragraph heuristic presentation of the EPR argument — Norsen has made significant concessions. In his response, Norsen admits that “Bell’s recapitulation of the EPR argument in [the relevant] paragraph leaves something to be desired,” that it “disappoints” and is “problematic”. Moreover, Norsen makes other statements that imply, on the face of it, that he should have no objections to the title of my recent paper (“The Two Bell’s Theorems of John Bell”). My principle aim in writing that paper was to try to bridge the gap between two interpretational camps, whom I call ‘operationalists’ and ‘realists’, by pointing out that they use the phrase “Bell’s theorem” to mean different things: his 1964 theorem (assuming locality and determinism) and his 1976 theorem (assuming local causality), respectively. Thus, it is heartening that at least one person from one side has taken one step on my bridge. That said, there are several issues of contention with Norsen, which we (the two authors) address after discussing the extent of our agreement with Norsen. The most significant issues are: the indefiniteness of the word ‘locality’ prior to 1964; and the assumptions Einstein made in the paper quoted by Bell in 1964 and their relation to Bell’s theorem.

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Posted in Volume 1, Issue 2, April 2015 Tagged Original Paper

Article written by International Journal of Quantum Foundations

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