A nonlocal ontology underlying the time-symmetric Heisenberg representation

Abstract

We maintain that the wavefunction is an ensemble property rather than an individual particle property. For individual particles, we propose an ontology underwritten by the Heisenberg representation. It consists of properties represented by deterministic operators, which may have nonlocal dynamics. Relying on nonlocal dynamics, we show how interference phenomena can be understood without having to conceive of the quantum state as wave-like. Nonlocal information is provided by a modular momentum operator. By augmenting the individual particle ontology with a final state and employing weak measurements, we show how both interference and which-path can be deduced for the same system. This situation is most intuitively understood through a time-symmetric Heisenberg representation. Indeed, we contend that a time-symmetric operator-based ontology captures the essence of quantum mechanics, particularly its nonlocal nature, better than any wavefunction-based ontology.