Mott Problem, Brownian motion, and TGD

I did not know that the basic prediction of TGD is known as an anomaly, problem (see this): if the particle emitted in say nuclear decay has an approximately spherical wave function, why is it seen as a track in bubble chamber. Why not a set of dots corresponding to a sequence of localizations as position measurements induced by the interaction of the atoms of the bubble chamber. Mott considered one possible solution to the problem.

The very existence of the Mott problem is one of the most direct supports for the zero energy ontology of TGD, which solves the paradox of quantum measurement theory. The basic physical entities are slightly-non-deterministic Bohr orbits for particles identified as 3-surfaces, which however obey classical field equations. Quantum states are wave functions in the space of these 4-D Bohr orbits rather than in 3-space. Brownian motion provides direct evidence for the mild failure of the classical determinism for these Bohr orbits. The edges of the Bohr orbit correspond to interaction vertices.

The key idea is simple. In the zero energy ontology, the localization does not occur at a point of 3-space, say around some atom, but at a given, slightly non-deterministic Bohr orbit of the particle. The track is the basic observable, not the 3-D position of the particle on the track. Localization in 3-spaces is replaced with localization in the space of Bohr orbits, "world of the classical worlds". The sequence of bubbles makes the Bohr orbit visible. The wave function in the space of Bohr orbits replaces the ordinary wave function and can be spherically symmetric.

See the article Some comments related to Zero Energy Ontology (ZEO) or the chapter Zero Energy Ontology.

For a summary of earlier postings see Latest progress in TGD.

For a summary of earlier postings see Latest progress in TGD.

For the lists of articles (most of them published in journals founded by Huping Hu) and books about TGD see this.