Beyond Causal Explanation: Einstein's Principle Not Reichenbach's.

Area of Science:

• Quantum Mechanics
• Foundations of Physics
• Quantum Information Theory

Background:

• EPR correlations, contextuality, no-signalling, and the Tsirelson bound present interpretational challenges in quantum mechanics.
• Existing explanations often rely on causal or retrocausal assumptions, which are debated.
• Reichenbach's Principle and the search for a fundamental physical principle in quantum information theory guide current research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a local, realist, and fully non-causal principle-based explanation for key quantum mechanical phenomena.
• To critique and offer an alternative to retrocausal interpretations of quantum mechanics.
• To identify and elaborate on the physical principle underpinning quantum information theory's reconstructions of quantum mechanics.

Main Methods:

• Development of a non-causal principle-based account of quantum mechanics.
• Analysis of EPR correlations, contextuality, no-signalling, and the Tsirelson bound within this framework.
• Comparison with retrocausal accounts and Reichenbach's Principle.

Main Results:

• A local, realist, and non-causal explanation for EPR correlations, contextuality, no-signalling, and the Tsirelson bound is presented.
• The proposed account is consistent with the causal structure of Minkowski spacetime.
• Retrocausal accounts are shown to be problematic due to their reliance on fundamental causal explanations.

Conclusions:

• The study introduces a novel principle-based framework for understanding quantum mechanics, distinct from retrocausal approaches.
• This framework offers a complete rejection of Reichenbach's Principle, proposing a new foundational physical principle.
• The account is demonstrated to be both fully realist and psi-epistemic, addressing key interpretational aspects.