Submitted:
13 September 2026
Posted:
14 September 2026
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Abstract
We present a group-theoretic reconstruction of quantum mechanics in which the standard formalism emerges from the representation theory of symmetry groups rather than being introduced axiomatically. Starting from physically motivated symmetry principles, we show how the conventional postulates of quantum mechanics, including the Hilbert space structure of states, observables as generators of symmetry transformations, the Born probability rule, unitary time evolution, the composition of multipartite systems, and the measurement framework, can be recovered within a unified representation-theoretic framework. We then examine the measurement problem by interpreting wave-function collapse as the scattering of quantum states, thereby accounting for the apparent loss of information. This framework offers a conceptually unified perspective on the foundations of quantum mechanics, connecting its postulates, measurement theory, and the emergence of quantum phenomena to a common symmetry-based origin.
Keywords:
quantum mechanics interpretation
; quantum mechanics foundation
; quantum mechanics postulates
; particle-wave duality
; quantum field theory foundation
; Planck constant origin
; particle physics
; Hamiltonian mechanics
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