Basil J. Hiley
Basil J. Hiley | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Ontological (causal) interpretation of quantum theory; co-author with David Bohm of The Undivided Universe |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics, foundations of quantum mechanics |
| Institutions | Birkbeck, University of London |
Basil J. Hiley is a British theoretical physicist, emeritus professor at Birkbeck, University of London, known for his long collaboration with David Bohm on the ontological (causal) interpretation of quantum mechanics. He is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Work
Hiley worked with David Bohm at Birkbeck College for some three decades, developing an interpretation of quantum theory that treats the quantum world as an undivided, non-local whole rather than accepting the standard Copenhagen view. Their ideas were set out in the book The Undivided Universe: An Ontological Interpretation of Quantum Theory (Routledge, 1993), which is regarded as the principal reference for Bohm's interpretation. In this framework Hiley and Bohm introduce the notion of "active information" carried by a quantum potential, and argue that a distinct, non-local quality of energy operates in the quantum domain.
Hiley has also pursued an algebraic approach to quantum mechanics and ideas of "process" and Bohm's "implicate order." In 2012 he received the Majorana Prize in the category "The Best Person in Physics" for his work on the algebraic approach to quantum mechanics. His program lies outside the mainstream Copenhagen interpretation and is part of the minority tradition of realist, deterministic interpretations of quantum theory.