What is a wave function good for?

Everett, Wheeler, Bohr and a new interpretation of quantum theory

Abstract

Nature celebrated, on the cover of its 2007 June issue, the 50th anniversary of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. The cover illustrated the current status of this interpretation, widely studied by physicists and philosophers. However, the history of its development and origins remained an open problem in the historiography of physics. This paper is dedicated to exam the historical origins of this interpretation during Hugh Everett’s doctoral work at Princeton between 1953-57. This work led John A. Wheeler, and the creator of the complementarity interpretation, Niels Bohr, into a debate. Bohr’s opposition to Everett’s ideas, and the way the debate was conducted, contributed to the end of Everett’s career in Physics and left his interpretation forgotten at least for the next 15 years.