Guiding Waves in Quantum Mechanics: One Hundred Years of de Broglie-Bohm Pilot-Wave Theory

The pilot-wave theory developed by de Broglie and Bohm has a special place in the history of contemporary physics, being the very first alternative formulation of quantum mechanics. As is well-known, such a framework established itself as a leading interpretation of the quantum formalism, representing a solution to the major technical and conceptual challenges affecting the orthodox view. Indeed, the de Broglie-Bohm theory not only solves the famous measurement problem, one of the most cogent issues faced by standard quantum mechanics, but it also clarifies the formal structure of the latter theory as a consequence of a consistent set of principles and a precise, unambiguous ontology.

This volume aims to provide the reader with a discussion of the pilot-wave perspective, which is as informative, comprehensive and accessible as possible, while at the same time clarifying confusions and misunderstandings that are unfortunately still common, despite the long history of this theoretical framework.

The book features chapters about the various perspectives on the pilot-wave theory, its extensions to relativity and quantum field theory, and its experimental applications to various branches of physics, such as quantum electrodynamics, quantum chemistry, and quantum engineering. Moreover, the volume includes essays on the history and philosophy of the de Broglie-Bohm theory in order to delineate its developments and the vicissitudes of its pioneers, as well as to understand the scientific image of the universe it provides.

Andrea Oldofredi, FCT Assistant Researcher, Centre of Philosophy, University of Lisbon

Andrea Oldofredi is currently Assistant Researcher at the Centre of Philosophy at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where he is working on a project entitled Understand Nature: New Insights on the Ontology of Quantum Field Theory, concerned with the metaphysics of the quantum theory of fields, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Oldofredi also carries out research in the history of contemporary physics, focusing mainly on the developments of quantum interpretations. Prior to his position in Lisbon, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, where he obtained his PhD in Philosophy in November 2016.