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The Story
Schrödinger built a deterministic model, but the manuscript does not prove he believed quantum randomness was never fundamental.
The document shows Schrödinger exploring whether a deterministic model could reproduce a quantum result. That is historically important, but the surviving text does not establish that he endorsed hidden variables as his preferred account of nature. The strongest reading is a technical proof of possibility within a specific debate, not a repudiation of quantum indeterminacy.
- Del Santo explicitly characterizes Schrödinger’s proposal as a proof of principle rather than evidence of commitment to determinism.
- The manuscript addresses a specific hidden-variable model for polarized light, not a complete replacement for quantum mechanics.
- The originating account frames Schrödinger’s broader position as a continuing struggle with the meaning of quantum randomness.
Deeper Insight
Schrödinger did not just reject quantum randomness. He built a polarized-light model that reproduced its predictions.
Three pages from a 1944–45 manuscript put a working mechanism behind Schrödinger’s doubts about quantum chance. Its hidden-variable model reproduces polarized-light predictions, but Del Santo calls it a proof of principle, not a full replacement for quantum mechanics or proof of Schrödinger’s allegiance. The archive makes the history less tidy, and the evidence sharper.
- The recovered manuscript contains an explicit hidden-variable model with deterministic rules, showing that Schrödinger actively engaged the possibility of deeper causal structure.
- The model’s success in reproducing polarized-light predictions makes the manuscript more than a rhetorical objection; it is a concrete construction within the debate.
- A separate analysis presents Schrödinger’s views on determinism as more complex than the familiar portrait of simple resistance to quantum indeterminacy.
Sources · 7
Featured · Primary source · arxiv.org
Schrödinger’s unpublished hidden-variable model in the 1944–45 debate over the “Collapse of Determinism”
Schrödinger’s unpublished hidden-variable model in the 1944–45 debate over the “Collapse of Determinism” # Schrödinger’s unpublished hidden-variable model in the 1944–45 debate over the “Collapse of Determinism” Flavio Del Santo Affiliation: University of Geneva, Group of Applied Physics, Rue de l’É
Read sourceAnalysis · qubitwire.com
Schrödinger left an unpublished argument about quantum randomness. A new paper brings it back.
# Schrödinger left an unpublished argument about quantum randomness. A new paper brings it back. A historical preprint transcribes a forgotten model from the 1940s. It is a window into an old debate, not proof that quantum physics is wrong. QubitWire editorial desk 2 min read Sources & context Publi
Read sourceAnalysis · massandmotion.com
Schrödinger's 1944 manuscript reveals hidden-variable model
Schrödinger's 1944 manuscript reveals hidden-variable model # Schrödinger's 1944 manuscript reveals hidden-variable model A newly analyzed 1944-45 manuscript by Erwin Schrödinger details a hidden-variable model, showing it was a proof of principle for quantum randomness, not evidence of his belief i
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