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Article

A Three–Dimensional Ontological Formulation of Bohmian Mechanics

Physics and Astronomy Department, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
Entropy 2026, 28(4), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/e28040382
Submission received: 26 February 2026 / Revised: 17 March 2026 / Accepted: 21 March 2026 / Published: 31 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Foundations: 100 Years of Born’s Rule)

Abstract

We present a three–dimensional field ontology for Bohmian mechanics in which the single-particle wave functions defined in ordinary physical space are taken as ontological elements alongside particle positions. In this view, each particle is associated with a wave function in three–dimensional space conditioned on the actual positions of the remaining particles. The universal wave function on configuration space is retained within the formalism, but its role is interpreted as nomological: it determines the coupled evolution of the three–dimensional fields without itself being treated as a fundamental physical field. The corresponding evolution equations for the conditioned three–dimensional wave functions follow from the standard Bohmian formalism and, together with the guidance equation, yield dynamics fully equivalent to those of the conventional theory. The empirical and predictive content of Bohmian mechanics is thereby preserved, while its ontological structure is expressed in explicitly three–dimensional terms. Within a ψ-ontic perspective, this proposal makes explicit an ontological organization of Bohmian mechanics in which the dynamical fields are defined on physical space. While fully equivalent to the conventional formulation, expressing the theory in these terms may facilitate interpretation, visualization, and pedagogical presentation.
Keywords: quantum mechanics; ontology; 3D; Bohmian mechanics; pilot-wave; de Broglie–Bohm; trajectories; 3D wave quantum mechanics; ontology; 3D; Bohmian mechanics; pilot-wave; de Broglie–Bohm; trajectories; 3D wave

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yepes, P.P. A Three–Dimensional Ontological Formulation of Bohmian Mechanics. Entropy 2026, 28, 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/e28040382

AMA Style

Yepes PP. A Three–Dimensional Ontological Formulation of Bohmian Mechanics. Entropy. 2026; 28(4):382. https://doi.org/10.3390/e28040382

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yepes, Pablo P. 2026. "A Three–Dimensional Ontological Formulation of Bohmian Mechanics" Entropy 28, no. 4: 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/e28040382

APA Style

Yepes, P. P. (2026). A Three–Dimensional Ontological Formulation of Bohmian Mechanics. Entropy, 28(4), 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/e28040382

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