Pilot-wave theory (de Broglie–Bohm)
Louis de BroglieDavid BohmJohn Bell
This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method
For everyone
According to this theory, put forward by de Broglie in 1927 and developed by Bohm in 1952, particles always have definite positions and are guided by a wave obeying the Schrödinger equation. The theory is deterministic; probabilities come only from our ignorance of initial positions. It gives the same predictions as standard quantum mechanics but is explicitly non-local: the motion of a distant particle depends instantly on what happens elsewhere.
For specialists
Particle velocities are fixed by the "guiding equation", given by the gradient of the phase of the wave function. Under the quantum equilibrium hypothesis the position distribution is |ψ|² and the Born rule is recovered. Bell developed his inequality partly by asking whether this theory's non-locality is unavoidable. Extending the theory to relativistic quantum field theory is difficult. Experiments with fluid droplets show a classical analogue of a similar guiding behaviour.
Claims
Positions
- Critics
- The theory adds unobservable trajectories while making the same predictions as the standard theory, and has no version yet that fits well with relativity.[2]
Connections
Sources
- Article (1952). A suggested interpretation of the quantum theory in terms of "hidden" variables. I. Physical Review 85, 166–179DOI 10.1103/PhysRev.85.166archive
- EncyclopediaBohmian Mechanics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophyplato.stanford.eduarchive
Search the literature
Look for scholarly work on this topic in other indexes:
Cite this page
Athena contributors. (2026). Pilot-wave theory (de Broglie–Bohm). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/pilot-dalga/
@misc{athena_pilot_dalga,
title = {Pilot-wave theory (de Broglie–Bohm)},
author = {{Athena contributors}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/pilot-dalga/}},
note = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history