ROUND TABLE:«Just» questions of interpretation (On the 100th anniversary of the creation of quantum mechanics)

Abstract

The fundamental approaches to quantum mechanics – matrix and wave mechanics – were developed in 1925 – 1926 by Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger. Despite fundamental differences (comparable to the opposition between the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems), they proved mathematically equivalent, a fact proven as early as 1927. Since then, the mathematical foundations of quantum theory have remained unquestioned, and computational methods have been rapidly developed.
The situation with the physical interpretation of the theory is entirely different. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, despite fierce resistance from the majority of authoritative physicists, the so-called Copenhagen interpretation (Bohr–Heisenberg–Born) prevailed. However, a survey of nearly 1,000 leading physicists worldwide conducted in 2025 – the centenary – revealed that only 24 percent of scientists (a relative, but not absolute, majority) were confident in its validity. The rest of those surveyed subscribed to other, more or less popular interpretations, of which there are currently more than five.
The report provides an overview of the main modern interpretations of quantum mechanics, briefly compares them, and provides explanations based on them for the Schrödinger's cat paradox.

Speaker

Michael M. Stolnitz
Saratov State University, Saratov
Russia

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