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TheconferenceChanceinPhysics:FoundationsandPerspectiveswasheldfrom 29thNovemberto3rdDecember1999inIschia,Italy. Itwassponsoredbythe IstitutoItalianoPerGliStudiFiloso?ciinNaples,bytheDeutscheForschun- gemeinschaft(DFG),andbytheSociet`aItalianaDiFondamentiDellaFisica. SponsoringbytheInternationalSchoolforAdvancedStudies(ISAS)ofTrieste, Italy,madethecompilationofthisvolumepossible;thefundingbytheIs- tutoItalianoPerGliStudiFiloso?ciwascrucialfortheconferenceandisvery gratefullyacknowledged. TheIstitutomanagedtoprovideauniqueatmosphere foraninterdisciplinarymeeting,andtheseproceedingsre?ectindeedthevery friendlybutneverthelessintenseandneverendingdiscussionsononeofthemost debatedissuesofscience:probability,andinparticularprobabilityinphysics. Wegratefullyacknowlegdetheorganisationalworkaswellastheeditorialwork donebyoursecretaryofthemeetingPhDstudentRoderichTumulka. Themeetingwasintendedtostimulaterenewedre?ectiononthefundam- talandpracticalaspectsofprobabilityinphysics,inparticularthefoundations ofstatisticalsechanics,theprobabilityinthefoundationsofquantummech- ics,thealgebraicviewofprobabilityandthephilosophyofprobabilityinits interrelationwithphysics. Questionslikewhatprobabilityis,orwhatitisabout,orhowprobability entersphysicsareofasubtlekind. Theyaredi?cultinvariousways,often mixedupwiththeenormouscomplexityandtheinescapablelackofmat- maticalrigorinthephysicalapplication,orwiththefoundationalproblemsof quantummechanics,wheretheprobabilisticignoranceconcerningthevaluesof certainphysicalquantitieshasevenbeenelevatedtoamatterofprinciple. At present,theunderstandingofprobabilityinphysicsisalmostaspersonalasthe understandingofquantumtheory. Theaimoftheconferencewasthustofocusonideasaboutprobabilityin physics,itsmeaninganditsphilosophicalimplications,byreviewingthedi?erent facetsofprobabilityinphysicsinitsmodernsettingsandbytakingintoaccount modernquantumtheorieswithoutobservers,wheretheoriginofprobabilityis notmysti?edbydogmatism. Thereviewsweregiveninone-hourtalks,andthediscussionswereheldin theformofroundtables,whereshortercontributionswerealsogiven. Thespeakerswereaskednottodilutethemainthemesoftheconference withtechnicalitiesandtofocussharplyontheissueofprobability. Thiswas VI Preface takentoheartbyallspeakersandthemeetingthusprovedverysuccessful. The contributionsinthisvolumeconsequentlyfocusonconceptualissues,andthey makeworthwhilereadingforspecialistsinthe?eldoffoundationsaswellasfor nonspecialists,becauseextensivetechnicalpriorknowledgeisnotrequired. The contributionshavebeenleftintheordertheywerediscussedinthemeeting, whichprovedtobeaverynaturalone: 1. ClassicalStatisticalMechanics,whereBoltzmann sunderstandingofstat- ticalmechnanicsasarisingfromkineticgastheoryisreviewedandputinto modernperspectives,withanoutlookonrelativisticstatisticalmechanics. Therelativelackofemphasisonthee?ectofchaoticbehaviouronthefo- dationsofprobabilityisnoteworthy. 2. QuantumMechanics,wherewereviewthoseontologicalquantumtheories, thathavebeenmostseriouslydiscussedintherecentyears. Amongthese areadeterministictheory(Bohmianmechanics)andboththeintrinsically randomtheoriesofwavepacketreductionandtheoperator-basedconsistent (decoherent)histories. Itstartswiththe orthodox view,againwith- phasisontheprobabilisticaspectsofthesetheories. 3. Chaoticsystems,wherethedynamicalaspectsforthefoundationsofpro- bilityinphysicsareadressed. 4. PhilosophyofProbability,wheretheissuesoftheearliersectionsarefurther scrutinizedonphilosophicalgrounds. Thesecontributionshavenoabstracts. Thebookstartswithanintroductorypaper,inwhichalmostallthetopics whicharediscussedbythelatercontributionsarecriticallypresented. M unchen, J. Bricmont,D. Durr, M. C. Galavotti, January2001 G. C. Ghirardi,F. Petruccione,N. Zangh`? TableofContents PartI Introduction Bayes,BoltzmannandBohm:ProbabilitiesinPhysics JeanBricmont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 PartII ClassicalStatisticalMechanics TheRiseofStatisticalMe
List of contents
Bayes, Boltzmann and Bohm: Probabilities in Physics.- Classical Statistical Mechanics.- The Rise of Statistical Mechanics.- Boltzmann's Approach to Statistical Mechanics.- Microscopic Time Reversibility and the Boltzmann Equation.- The Direction of Time.- How to Implement Boltzmann's Probabilistic Ideas in a Relativistic World?.- Quantum Mechanics.- Probability in Orthodox Quantum Mechanics: Probability as a Postulate Versus Probability as an Emergent Phenomenon.- Bohmian Mechanics.- Chance of Reduction as Chance of Spontaneous Localisation.- Probabilities, Decohering Histories, and the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.- Space Time and Probability.- Hidden Variables, Statistical Mechanics and the Early Universe.- Perspectives of the Dynamical Reduction Program.- Relativistic Theory of Continuous Measurements.- Probabilistic Results for Six Detectors in a Three-Particle GHZ Experiment.- Classical Versus Quantum Probabilities.- Chaotic Systems.- Does Quantum Chaos Exist?.- Time-Scales for the Approach to Thermal Equilibrium.- Einstein's Nonconventional Conception of the Photon and the Modern Theory of Dynamical Systems.- Philosophy of Probability.- What Interpretation for Probability in Physics?.- Statistical Mechanics and the Propensity Interpretation of Probability.- Interpreting Probabilities: What's Interference Got to Do with It?.
Summary
This selection of reviews and papers is intended to stimulate renewed reflection on the fundamental and practical aspects of probability in physics. While putting emphasis on conceptual aspects in the foundations of statistical and quantum mechanics, the book deals with the philosophy of probability in its interrelation with mathematics and physics in general. Addressing graduate students and researchers in physics and mathematics togehter with philosophers of science, the contributions avoid cumbersome technicalities in order to make the book worthwhile reading for nonspecialists and specialists alike.
