ABSTRACT
Born’s interpretation of the squared modulus of a wave function (|ψ|2) as the probability density of finding a particle within a specified region of space is a key ingredient of the standard framework of quantum mechanics, thereby implying that the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics is inherently epistemological. On the other hand, the possibility of an alternative interpretation of quantum mechanics by interpreting |ψ|2 as the probability density of a particle being actually present within a specified region was first suggested by de Broglie [1]. Later, Bohm [2-4] developed the details of such an ontological model of quantum mechanics by using the notion of an observer-independent spacetime trajectory of an individual particle
T&F Cat # K11224, Chapter 8, Page 114, 15-9-2010
that is determined by its wave function through an equation of motion which is formulated in a way consistent with the Schrödinger time evolution. Bohm’s model, thus, explicitly refuted the counterarguments (such as those put forward by Pauli [5] and von Neumann [6]) that claimed to have ruled out the formulation of such a model. Subsequently, much work has been done on various aspects of the Bohmian model [7-10]. That such a model is not unique has been elaborately discussed [11,12] while different versions of the ontological model of quantum mechanics have been proposed [13-21].
