Nobel laureate Gerard ’t Hooft: Discreteness and Determinism in Quantum Mechanics
Gerard ’t Hooft talk about quantum mechanics, and show that its mathematics actually suggests a completely deterministic underlying theory.
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Update: He has decided, in view of the covid situation in the Netherlands, not to come. The talk will be on zoom:
https://cern.zoom.us/j/65737258480?pwd=cWdrK2g0UFdXSVF0VUZpMEI0VDZtdz09
Quantum mechanics is usually considered to be a theory based on indeterminism. Here we show that its mathematics actually suggests a completely deterministic underlying theory. This requires evolution operators that describe discretised jumps in space and time.
To understand how the known elementary particles, arranged in the Standard Model, can be reconciled with this picture, the discrete and continuous symmetries must be understood. This could open new avenues towards model building.
We also briefly discuss the implications regarding Bell's theorem.
Gerard ’t Hooft
- Professor at the Utrecht University.
- He shared the 1999 Nobel Prize with M.J.G. Veltman “for elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions”, paving the way for quantitative predictions within the theory describing weak interactions and culminating with the discovery of the Higgs boson.
- ’t Hooft has also worked on general aspects of gauge theory, black holes and quantum gravity.
