Speaker
Description
Understanding Bell nonlocality (EPR) in the context of relativistic spacetime is a longstanding problem in the foundations of physics. Here, we show that an observer-centric reinterpretation of the ontology of classical special relativistic spacetime (for an ensemble of observers) exhibits sufficiently close parallels to the phenomena of quantum non-locality that we can claim that the two sets of properties are isomorphic.
While the physical contexts are different, the pattern of properties are identical. This isomorphism leads us to believe that observer disagreement within standard special relativity contains the seeds of quantum nonlocality.
Colocality: This claim relies on the relativity of colocality [1], which simply describes how relatively moving observers disagree on which events occur at the same location. The relativity of colocality is the dual effect of the relativity of simultaneity and a direct consequence of the symmetry of the Lorentz boost. Disagreements on colocality can be interpreted as a many-space ontology, as discussed extensively elsewhere [2].
Classical to Quantum: The essential difference between the classical and quantum cases is that while classical inertial observers can agree-to-disagree, this option is not available to a quantum system in a momentum superposition, because the disagreements become internal to the system. It no longer becomes possible to dismiss observer disagreement as mere coordinate choice; instead, actual spatial indeterminacy arises [3].
Conclusions: Reinterpretation of the ontology of special relativity to respect observer disagreements leads to numerous quantum-like spacetime properties. Nonlocality is seen as a consequence of a many-spaces ontology.
[1] J. C. Sharp. “Symmetry of the Lorentz boost: the relativity of colocality and Lorentz time contraction”. In: European Journal of Physics 37.5 (2016), p. 055606
[2] J.C. Sharp. A Universe of Spaces, Amazon. 2024
[3] J.C. Sharp The Relativistic Origin of Quantum Indeterminacy, CAP 2025.
| Keyword-1 | Nonlocality |
|---|---|
| Keyword-2 | Special Relativity |
| Keyword-3 | Quantum Spacetime |