Open research questions in Quantum Mechanics and Applications
318 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 841 Quantum Mechanics and Applications papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
Conventional causal DAGs do not include underlying counterfactual variables on the graphs. The link between the graphical causal model and the potential-outcome model has remained hidden. There is a need for a framework that integrates counterfactuals and sufficient causes into causal DAGs.
The paper identifies a gap in the framework's ability to accommodate the ontological richness of Bohmian mechanics. The paper argues that the framework relies on a theoretically suspicious formulation of quantum mechanics. The paper questions the framework's alleged universality.
The limitations of likelihood-based measures of explanatory power. The need for a measure that can distinguish among explanations that all entail the explanandum. The need for a measure that can handle cases involving causal chains or negative interactions.
finding other possible low-energy signatures of quantum gravity - testing quantum gravity without probing particle collisions at the Planck energy
Here we resolve this long-standing open problem by constructing a local hidden state model for Werner states with any visibility r≤1/2 under general POVMs, thereby closing the so-called Werner gap.
Hence, the detections of network topology and nonlocality are crucial, which, however, remain an open problem.
It remains unclear whether detection defects in real EPR experiments are indeed loopholes or legitimate responses of the measured system, requiring further empirical investigation.
Loophole-free Bell inequality violation experiments verifying the realism and locality principles · 2026 · DOIExperimental verification of CDQC using a Talbot-Lau matter-wave setup. Further study of the Collapse Rate Function (R).
Classical Dimensional Quantum Collapse (CDQC): The First Integrated Framework for Deterministic Reality · 2026 · DOIThe subjective element of observation in traditional interpretations of quantum mechanics. The need for an objective mechanism for wavefunction collapse.
The lack of a unified perspective on the interpretation of quantum logics. The need for a new understanding of quantum logics as an ontological framework operating at a different epistemological level.
While the three-layer model allows logical resources at L1 to be reconsidered in light of structural pressures from L2, the extent to which classical logic can be substantively revised or replaced—rather than merely reinterpreted—remains underdeveloped.
The De Giuseppe series does not address the problem of what the universe is, how it is structured in depth, and how the observable relates to foundation. The series does not provide a modal cosmogony, instead describing a physics of an already emerged cosmos.
THE MODAL DISCIPLINE OF LIGHT AND TIME: a critical–propositional analysis of the De Giuseppe Paradox series and Electric Time Theory in confrontation with the Theory of Objectivity · 2026 · DOIExploring the possibility of generalizing the developments to include more general discrete observables. Investigating the application of the treatment to other areas of quantum mechanics.
Bohmian Trajectories Within Hilbert Space Based Quantum Mechanics. Solution of the Measurement Problem · 2026 · DOIThe measurement problem in quantum mechanics is a long-standing issue. The traditional formalism of quantum mechanics invokes an ad hoc reduction/collapse postulate.
Bohmian Trajectories Within Hilbert Space Based Quantum Mechanics. Solution of the Measurement Problem · 2026 · DOIThe manuscript absolutizes geometry. The passage from 4π to alternation between 12 and 13 is fragile. The manuscript lacks a theory of full relational existence. The manuscript lacks the transcendent element.
THE MODAL DISCIPLINE OF QUANTUM SPIN: a critical–propositional reading of Deriving Spin-1/2 and Orbital Stability from Geometric First Principles, by Daniel Avilés Hurtado, in confrontation with the Theory of Objectivity · 2026 · DOIThe manuscript suggests that the double saturation hypothesis may be reinscribed within a deeper ontology. The manuscript suggests that the hypothesis may be useful for rethinking orbital stability beyond energy minimization.
THE MODAL DISCIPLINE OF QUANTUM SPIN: a critical–propositional reading of Deriving Spin-1/2 and Orbital Stability from Geometric First Principles, by Daniel Avilés Hurtado, in confrontation with the Theory of Objectivity · 2026 · DOIFuture research should investigate the application of the results to the design of quantum systems. Future research should also investigate the relation between the Unruh temperature and the operational scales of an observer.
The gap is the lack of a clear understanding of the operational scales of an observer with finite resources. The gap is the lack of a clear understanding of the mathematical structure of a physical observer.
Experimental verification of the proposed approach. Application of the approach to mixed states. Further development of the theory to include other types of measurements.
The lack of a theory that is fully compatible with the continuous framework of quantum mechanics while also accurately describing the dynamics of wave function collapse. The need for a new approach to modeling and controlling continuously monitored quantum systems.
Future research can build on the paper's findings to further explore the role of observation and measurement in quantum physics. The study's results can inform the development of new quantum technologies. Further research can examine the implications of Bohr's concept of complementarity for our understanding of quantum measurement.
The paper identifies a gap in our understanding of Bohr's interpretation of quantum measurement. The study highlights the need for a better understanding of the role of psychological analogies in Bohr's interpretation of quantum measurement.
The measurement problem in quantum mechanics. The nature of quantum correlations. The emergence of classical space-time from a more fundamental, non-spatiotemporal reality.
Reality as a Discrete Relational Structure: Frames, Form, and the Emergence of Probability and Time · 2026 · DOIWe have outlined a discrete relational framework that offers a unified approach to several foundational issues. The distinction between form (with its probability and extension) and diffusion, and the two levels of probability, provide a formal language for discussing the stability and transformation of structures across physical, biological, and social domains. Future work will focus on operationalizing the framework through simulations and exploring its connections to other relational approaches in quantum mechanics and cosmology.
Reality as a Discrete Relational Structure: Frames, Form, and the Emergence of Probability and Time · 2026 · DOIThe quantum nature of reference-frame transformations is not fully understood. The concept of Quantum Reference Frames is still in its early stages. There is a need for a more comprehensive analysis of the experimental implications of the results.
Most-cited papers in Quantum Mechanics and Applications
- The structure and properties of the sense of coherence scale · Social Science & Medicine · 1993 · 2,523 citations
- Bell’s theorem without inequalities · American Journal of Physics · 1990 · 2,029 citations
- The Problem of Measurement · American Journal of Physics · 1963 · 596 citations
- The Bowlby-Ainsworth attachment theory · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · 1979 · 504 citations
- The Theory of Quantum Liquids · American Journal of Physics · 1968 · 433 citations
- Quantum mysteries revisited · American Journal of Physics · 1990 · 376 citations
- On Hidden Variables and Quantum Mechanical Probabilities · American Journal of Physics · 1970 · 330 citations
- An introduction to QBism with an application to the locality of quantum mechanics · American Journal of Physics · 2014 · 317 citations
- A quantum theoretical explanation for probability judgment errors. · Psychological Review · 2011 · 291 citations
- Zeno paradox in quantum theory · American Journal of Physics · 1980 · 280 citations
Most recent work
- A Relational Constraint Framework for Physics from Finite Measurement Structure · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- BEYOND "SHUT UP AND CALCULATE": WHY PHYSICS NEEDS THREE PERSPECTIVES · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Separation of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism from quantum criticality · Physical Review Research · 2026
- Amendment LVI: SOL as Temporal Architecture — Time Emergence from Observer-Clock Entanglement in the SOL Geometry Framework · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Quantifiers and witnesses for the nonclassicality of measurements and of states · Quantum · 2026
- Unveiling gravity-induced quantumness by three-measurement uncertainty relations · The European Physical Journal C · 2026
- Invariance under quantum permutations rules out parastatistics · Nature Communications · 2026
- The Double-Slit Experiment in the Bivector Standard Model · Axioms · 2026
- Few Single-Qubit Measurements Suffice to Certify Any Quantum State · 2026
- Learning Stabilizer Structure of Quantum States · 2026
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