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4 months ago in Quantum Computing , Research Concepts By Govind
A Theory Beyond Quantum Theory?
As someone working on foundations of quantum theory, I encounter papers proposing deterministic substrata or modifications to the quantum framework. I struggle to evaluate them. Many seem elegant mathematically, but I don't see clear experimental predictions that distinguish them from standard quantum theory. I want to understand how seriously the community takes these efforts and whether they can genuinely be called physics.
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By Suma Answered 2 months ago
In physics, efforts to go beyond current quantum theory focus on developing a Theory of Everything that unifies quantum mechanics with general relativity. Approaches such as string theory and loop quantum gravity aim to describe phenomena where existing quantum frameworks break down. In computing, researchers are also exploring paradigms beyond quantum computing, including post-quantum, neuromorphic, and biological computing models, which may outperform quantum systems for specific classes of problems.
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By Yasak Answered 3 weeks ago
I have followed this literature for two decades and served on grant panels reviewing such proposals. My assessment is that most work in this space currently sits at the boundary between physics and philosophy. A theory genuinely beyond quantum mechanics must predict something different than quantum theory predicts not just reinterpret the same mathematics. I have seen elegant formalisms like trace dynamics that reproduce quantum behavior under certain limits, but until they specify which regime perhaps at Planck scale, perhaps in macroscopic systems yields a measurable deviation, they remain pre-physical. The scientific status will shift the moment a proponent derives a concrete, falsifiable experimental signature. Until then, I recommend treating them as mathematically rigorous philosophical frameworks rather than competing physical theories.
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