Abstract
The problem of the 3N dimensions of the wave function is of particular interest in the philosophy of physics. In this work, we will recall the main positions about the nature and dimensionality of the wave function and we will introduce a new perspective, coming from quantum chemistry. For this, we will bring to light the formal operations that underlie the Independent Electron Approximation. We show that the concept of the orbital is closely linked to this approximation. Therefore, its characterization as an approximation must be questioned. On this basis, we will point out how quantum chemistry can offer new arguments that contribute to the debate about the ontology of wave function.
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Acknowledgments
This work has been partially funded by a PIP grant from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), a UBACyT grant from the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), a PICT grant from the Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (FONCYT) and the Universidad Austral.
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Fortin, S., Jaimes Arriaga, J.A. (2022). About the Nature of the Wave Function and Its Dimensionality: The Case of Quantum Chemistry. In: Lombardi, O., Martínez González, J.C., Fortin, S. (eds) Philosophical Perspectives in Quantum Chemistry. Synthese Library, vol 461. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98373-4_9
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