Reference Frame Dependence in Ontological Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics

Interpretations of the measurement problem in quantum mechanics, when they rely solely on experimental research as foundational for an ontological account, fail to adequately explain the entities they posit . This leaves open the ontological nature of their quantum states. In attempting to explain the notion of an entity’s existence, implying the ability to speak of the “thing in itself", which is devoid of an explicit ontology, has resulted in paradoxes and attribution of incompatible properties to implicitly posited entities. We propose that providing explicit attention to the relations between the mathematical formalism, relevant experimental research and interpretation of empirical phenomena, a more viable notion of quantum mechanical ontology can be pieced together, in which entities cannot be understood simply as self-contained objects but as reference frame ontologically dependent. We show this dependence in the context of the delayed choice quantum eraser, where the iboundaries and relations play a vital role in the property description of the entities, therefore providing a better framework in which novel quantum systems can be developed.