The Quantum as an Emergent System

Austrian Institute for Nonlinear Studies

We model the quantum as a well-coordinated emergent system, where particle-like and wave-like phenomena are the result of both stochastic and regular dynamical processes. A prototype of such a system is well known from classical physics, viz., the “bouncing droplets” of Couder’s group, which in fact exhibit a whole series of phenomena reminiscent of quantum ones. Analogously, our group has in recent years developed a model of a quantum as a non-equilibrium steady-state maintained by a permanent throughput of energy. Specifically, we consider a “particle” as a “bouncer” whose oscillations are phase-locked with those of the energy-momentum reservoir of the surrounding “vacuum”, i.e., the zero-point field. An overview of our "thermodynamical" model is presented. Particular focus is given on the dispersion of a single Gaussian and the ballistic diffusion of the corresponding particle trajectories, on double slit interference, and on a simple mathematical scheme to calculate intensity distributions, trajectories and probability density currents without any reference to ordinary quantum mechanics, or its formalism, respectively.

Gerhard Grössing was born in Vienna in 1957; School and University (Physics and Mathematics)
in Vienna; Teaching Assistant at Iowa State University and Research Assistant in
High Energy Physics at Ames Lab. (USA) in 1979/80; graduation as M.S. 1980;
dissertation on quark jets at the University of Vienna; graduation as Ph.D. 1983;
then: research projects at the Atominstitut, Vienna, including, since 1984, the development
of "Quantum Cellular Automata" (with Anton Zeilinger) and the development of "Quantum Cybernetics".
The latter is an attempt to model a quantum system by the circularly-causal (i.e., "cybernetic")
relationship between a "central oscillation" (or "particle", respectively) and its wave-like environment.
(See G. Groessing, "Quantum Cybernetics", Springer, New York, 2000.)
Since around 2008, this model has been essentially refined and cast within the framework of a
sub-quantum nonequilibrium thermodynamics.
Founding member and director of the Austrian Institute for Nonlinear Studies (AINS), Vienna, since 1990.
Member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Cybernetics and Systems, Taylor & Francis, since 1999.
Founding and Board member of the Heinz von Foerster - Gesellschaft, since 2000. Founding member and President of the Oswald Wiener - Gesellschaft, since 2010