Quantum Mechanics, is it magic

arXiv:0804.4216v2[physics.hist-ph]6May2008QuantumMechanics,isitmagic?1M.FerreroDpto.F´ısica,UniversidaddeOviedo,[e-mail]´ıaInform´atica,UniversidadAntoniodeNebrija,[e-mail].L.S´anchez-G´omezDpto.F´ısicaTe´orica,UniversidadAut´onomadeMadrid,[e-mail]:Quantummechanics,anthropology,aprioriprinciples,entan-glement,participativeuniverseWeshowthatquantummechanicsisthefirsttheoryinhumanhistorythatviolatesthebasicaprioriprinciplesthathaveshapedhumanthoughtsinceimmemorialtimes.Thereforealthoughitismorecontrarytomagicthananybodyofknowledgecouldbe,whatcouldbecalleditsmagicpreciselyresidesinthisviolation.1Introduction:theuseofthewordmagicinquantumphysicsThispaperhasbeeninspiredbyallthosephysiciststhatatacertainpointhaveusedthewordmagicwhendescribing,explainingorwritingaboutQuantumPhysics.Whatcalledourattentionwasthesomewhatanachronicuseoftheterm.Fromarigorousanthropologicalpointofview,whichisthecontextwerethewordmagiccanproperlygetitsmeaning,magicisapreviousstagetore-ligionandscienceintheevolutionofhumanthought.Althoughitcouldbesaidthatscienceandmagicsharesomecommonaspectsandcouldevencoexistwithindifferentgroupsinaconcreteperiodoftime,theyareessentiallydifferentinstitutionscreatedbythehumanbeings.Topointoutthisdifferenceisoneoftheaimsofthispaper.Theotherwillbetoshowwherethemagicofquantummechanicsresides.1OnApril,13professorJohnA.Wheelerpassedaway.Weexpresshereouradmirationfortheworkhehaslegatedandwededicatethispapertohonourhismemory.1Thewordmagichasthreedifferentmeanings.Accordingtothefirstone,magicis”thepretendedartofinfluencingthecourseofeventsbycompellingtheagencyofspiritualbeingsorbybringingintooperationsomeoccultcontrol-lingprincipleofnature”.Thesecondis”asecretandover-masteringinfluence,resemblingmagicinitseffects”.Thethirdis”theartofproducing(byleg-erdemain,opticalillusion,etc.)surprisingphenomenaresemblingtheresultsofmagic”[1].Asthesecondandthirddefinitionsincludetheverysamewordmagic,theuseinthesesensesnecessarilyrequiressomekindofpreviousknowl-edgeofthemeaningofmagicinthefirstsense.Itistruethatsinceitsinception,QuantumTheory,perhapsthemosteffec-tivephysicaltheoreticalstructurebuilt-upbyhumanbeings,hashadashakyphilosophicalfoundations,givingwaytomanydiscussionsbetweenthefounderfathersofthetheory(N.Bohr,A.Einstein,W.Heisenberg,E.Schrdinger,M.Born,W.PauliandP.Dirac).Theuseofwordslikeparadox,puzzle,mystery,extraordinary,weirdness,spooky,etc,tomanifestthesurprisethatsomeofthetheory’spredictionscauseduponus,towit,mainlythosedefyingourintuitionandcommonsense,werefrequent.However,thewordmagicthat,asweshallseeverysoonhasmoreprofoundimplicationsenteredthesceneonlyatalaterstageinthedevelopmentofthediscussion.Asfarasweknow,thefirsttimethewordmagicwaswrittendowninthecontextof”hardphysics”was1972,inabookentitledMagicwithoutMagic,editedbyJ.E.KlaudertohonourProfessorJohnArchibaldWheelerinhissix-tiethanniversary[2].Thesenseinwhichthewordwasemployedinthetitleofthisbookisnotspecificallyexplainedwithinit.Neverthelessthetitlecanspeakforitself.Ifweconsiderwhichoneofthethreeaforementionedmean-ingsofthewordmagiccanbeappliedtothepersontowhomitwasdedicated,thelifeandworkofJ.A.Wheelercouldbetakenastheperfectexampleofthesecondmeaningoftheword.Thisisnotacapriciousstatement.Itisaconstantintheopinionsofallthosethathavebeenluckyenoughtomeetorhaveanytypeofrelationshipwithhim.LetusquotearepresentativesentenceoftheaforementionedbooktobrieflyrememberhischaracterandtherolehehasplayedinXXcenturyphysics.”TheinnovativefeatureofJohnWheelerisremarkablethroughouthiscareerasatheoreticalphysicist.Infieldafterfield,hehasgeneratedthekeyconceptsthathavebeenusedbyothers.Hewasthepioneerwhohasopenedupvaluablenewterrainandpointedtheway.ManyofthosewholaterworkinthesefieldsdonotknowthatitwasJohnWheelerwhostartedthem,becausehisgreatmodesty,informality,andcontinualwillingnesstogivecredittoothershaveofteneffacehisowngerminalrole”[3].Inshort,JohnWheelerhashadan”over-masteringinfluence,resemblingthemagicinitseffects”:hewas,presumably,magicalwithoutmagic(brieflyandinFrench:J.Wheelerismagiquesansmagie).Wehadtowaitanotherdecadetofindthiswordusedinphysics,butthistimethesentenceinwhichitwasincludedbecamefamous:”quantummechan-2icsismagic”.DanielGreenbergerintroducedthiscelebratedsentenceinthediscussionremarksattheSymposiumonFundamentalQuestionsinQuantumMechanicsheldattheStateUniversityofNewYork,Albany,inApril1984[4].ThesentenceimmediatelycalledtheattentionofthescholarsworkingintheFoundationsofQuantumPhysicsanditdefinitelyachievedfameoneyearlaterwhenDavidMerminopenwithitanowadaysclassicpaperonFoundationsofQuantumMechanicspublishedinPhysicsTodayin1985[5].InthelastpageMerminaffirms:”TheEPRexperimentisasclosetomagicasanyphysicalphenomenonIknowof,andmagicshouldbeenjoyed”.ThesameD.Green-bergerrepeatedtheformulathroughouttheyears.IntheprefaceofthebookFundamentalproblemsinQuantumTheory,publishedtohonourProfessorJ.A.Wheelerin1995,hewrites:”Whatmakesquantummechanicssomuchfunisthatitsresultsrunsocountertoone’sclassicalintuitions,y