Quantum Physics Without All the Weirdness: The Consistent Histories Approach

Quantum physics doesn’t have to be weird. Here, we explore a modern and intuitive interpretation of how quantum systems really work.

Can a (Schrödinger’s) cat in a box be both dead and alive? Common sense says no, and the Consistent Histories Interpretation elaborates how this works (credit: Gerd Altmann)

The word “quantum” is often associated with complicated equations and unintuitive physical phenomena. Yet, our world is unapologetically quantum; quantum physics governs all that exists in the Universe. This fact generates a lot of confusion amongst the general public: how can something so unintuitive — quantum physics — describe the intuitive world?

Well, one source of vexation comes from the old-school way of discussing quantum physics: that there are some magical wave-functions, such that objects can be in a mixture of two different places/situations, and that these “wave-functions” can change (or collapse) instantaneously across vast distances, when someone takes a peek or makes an observation of the wave-function.

These old-school viewpoints are collectively called the Copenhagen Interpretation. Indeed, this bizarre way of describing quantum mechanics was criticized by quite a few prominent physicists. Because of this, Einstein famously dismissed quantum physics as “spooky action at a distance.”