1st Brazilian Conference on Foundations of Quantum Theories

1st Brazilian Conference on Foundations of Quantum Theories

August 11-13, 2020

Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo, IF-USP

São Paulo, Brazil

No physical theory has caused more perplexity than quantum theory. Consider its history: in 1924, atomic physics was a hodgepodge of daring conjectures, ad-hoc computational rules, and unsolved problems. In 1925-1926, two atomic theories emerged: matrix mechanics and wave mechanics. The methods and tastes of their makers—Heisenberg, Born, Jordan, Bohr, Pauli & Dirac vs. Schrödinger—were very different indeed. But differences notwithstanding, matrix and wave mechanics were “synthetized” by John von Neunmann in 1932 in his chef d'oeuvre “Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics”. This formalism—von Neumann’s Hilbert Space Formalism—has been successfully extended to encompass infinite systems, i.e., quantum fields. Its mathematical grounds, sharpened via further axiomatization. No experiment has ever disconfirmed its statistical predictions—and it may be hard to imagine the day an experiment ever will. In fact, most—if not all—work in 21st-century physics is based on the assumption that the world is, at its most fundamental level, regulated by quantum-theoretical principles. But what are those, exactly?

This question we still want to see answered. Quantum theory owes its development to the acknowledgment that the foundations of classical physics must be viewed afresh. But to this day, reinterpreting experience in light of quantum theory continues to challenge researchers. Profound, difficult questions regarding the content of quantum theory are not at all settled, and we devote this conference to them. The 1st Brazilian Conference on the Foundations of Quantum Theories aims to encourage the collaboration between physicists, philosophers and mathematicians that work on the interdisciplinary area of foundations of quantum theories. Participants will engage primarily in debates about quantum-theoretical questions at the intersection of physics, mathematics and philosophy, but also in a meta-level debate of how these fields can productively interact to sharpen our understanding of the world as portrayed by quantum theory. We invite you all to join us in this discussion.

Conference Format 

This conference will feature physicists, philosophers of physics and mathematicians.

Main talks will last 45 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of commentary and discussion.

Submitted talks will last 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. We encourage researchers from physics, philosophy and mathematics to submit abstracts for talks.  

Call for posters to be presented at the 1st Brazilian Conference on Foundations of Quantum Physics is also open. The poster forum will take place in the morning of August 11th. Undergraduates who work on foundations of quantum theories or related topics are especially encouraged to submit poster abstracts.

Please address correspondence to [email protected] if you have any questions.

Submit your work at the conference's website: 1bcfqt.sciencesconf.org