Scott Aaronson and Jacob Barandes: Quantum Mechanics Without Waves
episodePreviously titled “Harvard Scientist Rewrites the Rules of Quantum Mechanics | Scott Aaronson Λ Jacob Barandes” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026
Transcript
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What new formulation of quantum mechanics is being introduced?
It is not every day that I see a claim for a new formulation of quantum mechanics. That's exciting.
For almost one hundred years, quantum mechanics has splintered physics into competing interpretations, each with a different consequence for reality. In this theolocution, Harvard's Jacob Barandis, co-director of the Graduate Studies Department, has developed a revolutionary framework called indivisible stochastic processes that suggest there is no fundamental wavefunction. He's joined with Scott Aronson as they dispute other interpretations like Many Worlds and Boehm, as well as discussing do quantum computers get their power from other universes? If so, why don't quantum computers provide speed ups for all problems instead of just a specialized subclass? In Jacob's view, what actually gives quantum computers their power over classical computers is indivisibility.
And that's because the class of indivisible processes Is simply larger than the class of all the kinds of processes used by classical computers. My name's Kurt J. Mungle, and I use my background in mathematical physics to analyze various theories of everything. Can we finally understand quantum mechanics without invoking mysterious wave functions, or are we forever bound to a world of mathematical abstractions divorced from physical intuition? The audience is in for a huge treat. I've had a preview of the questions you have for one another and I'm excited to be hosting you both. Thank you. Welcome, Scott Aronson and Jacob Barandes. Great to be here. It's lovely to be here. Thanks for the invitation. Nice to see you, Scott.
Yeah, good to see you too, Jacob. Does the benefit of quantum computing provide evidence for many worlds? Scott.
Um I would say that there is a philosophical argument uh that that for example David Deutsch has made, right? That says that uh uh and this was uh uh very closely related to why he invented the idea of quantum computing in the first place in the early nineteen eighties, right? That uh that says, well look, suppose that you use a quantum computer to factor a two thousand digit number. Right. You know, and and and Deutsch uh uh uh said this very explicitly you know in the in the in the nineties right suppose you run Schore's factoring algorithm and it factors the number, you know, just vastly uh uh more efficiently than than we think it can be done with any classical algorithm. And he says, you know, if you don't believe that quantum reality is in some sense a
vastly larger thing than classical reality, then where did the computation happen? You know, where was it done? Right. And so uh, you know, I think that that that that that that does get at at, you know, why quantum computing is so interesting to many of us in the first place, right? That it seems like this really, really hard to fake test that yes, there is some kind of reality to these abstractions that we're talking about that do involve these vectors and this exponentially large space. Right. But But now I would say the the philosophical part, the part where people can reasonably disagree with each other is should you describe that in terms of parallel universes or not? You know, is that the right language to use for talking about this vast thing?
Right.
How do quantum‑computing speed‑ups relate to the many‑worlds interpretation?
The problem is that uh, you know, what do we mean by something being a different universe? Right. Usually, you know, we mean that uh uh it it it is it evolving into independently from us, right? It is, you know, its own separate thing. I mean, in in the TV shows and the movies, there's always some portal or some wormhole or for for for by which you can visit the other universe. Because, you know, if there weren't, then what would be the plot? Right. But uh uh uh but but but somehow it is separated from our universe. Okay. But uh the trouble is if it's separated, then uh for that very reason we don't see the evidence of it. You know, like if we do a quantum computation, uh then, you know, uh at the point when two branches, you know, are really separated, then you know, we don't see the interference between them.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What new formulation of quantum mechanics is being introduced?
0:00–3:21
2
How do quantum‑computing speed‑ups relate to the many‑worlds interpretation?
3:21–12:29
3
What are Jacob Barandes’ “indivisible stochastic processes” and how do they replace the wavefunction?
12:29–25:46
4
Do these new ideas provide observable predictions or particle trajectories?
25:46–1:17:32
5
What is the nomological view of Bohmian mechanics and how does it relate to Schrödinger’s wave function?
1:17:32–1:21:21
6
How can quantum theory be generalized beyond the Hilbert‑space formulation?
1:21:21–1:33:47
7
Why do the authors consider the “stone‑soup” problem a serious flaw for many‑worlds interpretations?
1:33:47–1:45:12
8
What criteria should a viable interpretation of quantum mechanics satisfy?
1:45:12–2:30:31
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
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She Says Spacetime Points Are Just Where Fields Meet
Tanya Luhrmann: The Experience Is Real. But Is God?
Tim Maudlin: Quantum Nonlocality Explained FROM SCRATCH
Adrian Owen: Awake. Aware. Unable to Move.
Peter Godfrey-Smith: This Scientist Found Earth’s “Alien” Minds