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No-go theorems for \psi-epistemic models based on a continuity assumption
The quantum state \psi is a mathematical object used to determine the
probabilities of different outcomes when measuring a physical system. Its
fundamental nature has been the subject of discussions since the inception of
quantum theory: is it ontic, that is, does it correspond to a real property of
the physical system? Or is it epistemic, that is, does it merely represent our
knowledge about the system? Assuming a natural continuity assumption and a weak
separability assumption, we show here that epistemic interpretations of the
quantum state are in contradiction with quantum theory. Our argument is
different from the recent proof of Pusey, Barrett, and Rudolph and it already
yields a non-trivial constraint on \psi-epistemic models using a single copy of
the system in question.Comment: Version 1 contains both theory and an illustrative experiment.
Version 2 contains only the theory (the experiment with expanded discussion
will be posted separatly at a later date). The main novelty of Version 2 is a
detailed comparison in appendix 2 with L. Hardy arXiv:1205.14396. Version 2
is 6 pages of text and 1 figure; v3: minor change
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