The Philosophy Society and PhySoc are pleased to announce Dr. Chris Hooley as the speaker for this week's talk. Dr. Chris Hooley is a senior lecturer in theoretical condensed matter physics at the University of St Andrews and Operations Director of the Scottish Doctoral Training Centre in Condensed Matter Physics.

Indistinguishability and indiscernibility

Abstract

Whether the existence of two non-identical but indiscernible things is possible is a question discussed in the philosophical literature by Leibniz, Black, and others. The concept of indiscernibility at play here is closely connected to the notion of indistinguishability, a property that is taken to apply to fundamental particles in physics.

The indistinguishability of electrons implies the Pauli exclusion principle, and thus all of chemistry, so it is no mere detail. It also implies that the wave function of any pair of indistinguishable electrons is necessarily entangled, in the quantum-mechanical sense of the term. Recently there has been speculation that entangled quantum particles are linked by wormholes in space-time: the so-called “ER=EPR” conjecture. (The name is a sort of joke: ER stands for Einstein-Rosen, who in 1935 published a theory of such wormholes; EPR stands for Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen, who wrote a famous paper about entanglement in the same year.)

In this talk, I shall review pre-quantum discussions of the identity of indiscernibles, before asking what light quantum mechanics might shed on the issue, including a brief discussion of the ER=EPR conjecture. No prior knowledge of quantum mechanics or the philosophy of indiscernibility is assumed; all welcome!

Event Details

Doors will open at 7.30 p.m. for wine and cheese and the talk will start at 8.00 p.m. The event will take place in the Arts Lecture Theatre.

Entry is free for members, while non-members pay £2. You will get the opportunity to pay £5 for a membership at the event which will grant you free entry to internal speaker events for the whole academic year.

Duration: 2 hours

Host: PhySoc