Models of measurement for quantum fields and for classical continuous random fields

Abstract

A quantum field model for an experiment describes thermal fluctuations explicitly and quantum fluctuations implicitly, whereas a comparable continuous random field model would describe both thermal and quantum fluctuations explicitly. An ideal classical measurement does not affect the results of later measurements, in contrast to ideal quantum measurements, but we can describe the consequences of the thermal and quantum fluctuations of classically non-ideal measurement apparatuses explicitly. Some details of continuous random fields and of Bell inequalities for random fields will be discussed.