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From: aboulang@bbn.com (Albert Boulanger)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt

Subject: Re: Are there truly random phenomena?
Message-ID: 
Date: 11 Aug 91 13:57:03 GMT
References: <44901@cup.portal.com> <15218@ulysses.att.com> <148@mtnmath.UUCP>
+           <16951@smoke.brl.mil> <150@mtnmath.UUCP>
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In-reply-to: paul@mtnmath.UUCP's message of 6 Aug 91 20:36:40 GMT

In article <150@mtnmath.UUCP> paul@mtnmath.UUCP (Paul Budnik) writes:


   The recent experimental results relating to Bell's work that I am familiar
   with have nothing to do with determinism but only locality. If you are
   aware of any related to determinism I would appreciate a reference. The
   results all support quantum mechanics but they are inconclusive
   about locality for reasons I gave in a previous post.


Here is one reference that address the issue of determinism:

"Randomness in Quantum Mechanics -- Nature's Ultimate Cryptogram?"
T. Erber & S. Putterman, Nature Vol 318 (7 November) 1985 41-43

Abstract:

"Will a single atom irradiated by coherent light be equivalent to an
infinite computer as regards its ability to generate random numbers?
As described here, a search for unexpected patterns of order by
cryptanalysis of the telegraph signal generated by the on/off time of
the atom's fluorescence will provide new experimental tests of the
fundamental principles of quantum theory."

From the text:

"The axiomatic development is deliberately silent concerning any
requirements that the measurable functions be non-deteriminite of that
the elements if the probability space correspond to inherently
unpredictable or erratic events."

Tom Erber has a large monograph on experiments along the lines of this
paper. So far, the signals they studied look random.


Regrads,
Albert Boulanger
aboulanger@bbn.com