Chicago, December 17th, 2021.

Dear all:

We had high expectations for the 1BCFQT in São Paulo, Brazil. The pandemic has forced us (see below) to cancel it twice; notwithstanding the fact the pandemic is not yet over, we hoped 2022 would be the year for it. Nevertheless, since organizers Diana Taschetto, Thales Borrely, and Ricardo Correa da Silva will not be in Brazil during the first semester of 2022; since organizing the event from abroad is an impossible task, it is with a lot of regret that we inform you our decision of canceling the 1BCFQT for 2022. This is not to say the 1BCFQT is definitely canceled. We will be announcing a new date for it when making it happen becomes again possible.

We thank you for your understanding.

The 1BCFQT Organizing Committee

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São Paulo, February 15th, 2021.

Dear all:

We announced in early 2020 (see below) our decision to postpone the 1BCFQT for a year, when the COVID-19 pandemics hit Brazil. Since the pandemics is not yet over, it is not possible to go forward with that plan. We thus announce our decision to repostpone the conference to August 2022.
The precise date will be communicated in early 2022.

Feel free to contact us if you have any further questions: 1bcfqt@sciencesconf.org 

We thank you for your understanding, and hope to meet you in person in São Paulo in 2022 for the 1BCFQT.

The 1BCFQT Organizing Committee

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São Paulo, March 19th, 2020.

Dear all:

Given local, national, and international developments regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the University of São Paulo—following the guidelines of the Government of the State of São Paulo—has canceled, as a safety precaution, all scientific events and academic activities from March 23rd onwards (see public note (in Portuguese) at https://jornal.usp.br/institucional/reitor-divulga-novas-medidas-de-restricao-sobre-coronavirus-para-comunidade-universitaria/). In the current state of rapid spread of the virus, uncentainty, and ever increasing restrictions regarding travels and public health recommendations, it is not possible to foresee whether within a horizon of five months the global situation will be normalized. The organizing committee thus announces its decision of canceling the 1^st Brazilian Conference on Foundations of Quantum Theories, scheduled for 11-13 August, 2020. We have rescheduled the conference for the following date: 10-12 August, 2021.

It is with sincere regret that we cancel the conference this year. We hope to welcome the same invited speakers, and the same participants that would attend the conference this year, in the rescheduled date. 

If you have questions about our decision, the new date of the conference or about reimbursement for registration fees, please contact us via the e-mail 1bcfqt@sciencesconf.org.

We thank you sincerely for your understanding. We hope to welcome you in São Paulo in August 2021.

Wishing good health to you, your families and friends,

The 1BCFQT Organizing Committee

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1st Brazilian Conference on Foundations of Quantum Theories

August 11-13, 2020

Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo, IF-USP

São Paulo, Brazil

No physical theory has caused more perplexity than quantum theory. Consider its history: in 1924, atomic physics was a hodgepodge of daring conjectures, ad-hoc computational rules, and unsolved problems. In 1925-1926, two atomic theories emerged: matrix mechanics and wave mechanics. The methods and tastes of their makers—Heisenberg, Born, Jordan, Bohr, Pauli & Dirac vs. Schrödinger—were very different indeed. But differences notwithstanding, matrix and wave mechanics were “synthetized” by John von Neunmann in 1932 in his chef d'oeuvre “Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics”. This formalism—von Neumann’s Hilbert Space Formalism—has been successfully extended to encompass infinite systems, i.e., quantum fields. Its mathematical grounds, sharpened via further axiomatization. No experiment has ever disconfirmed its statistical predictions—and it may be hard to imagine the day an experiment ever will. In fact, most—if not all—work in 21st-century physics is based on the assumption that the world is, at its most fundamental level, regulated by quantum-theoretical principles. But what are those, exactly?

This question we still want to see answered. Quantum theory owes its development to the acknowledgment that the foundations of classical physics must be viewed afresh. But to this day, reinterpreting experience in light of quantum theory continues to challenge researchers. Profound, difficult questions regarding the content of quantum theory are not at all settled, and we devote this conference to them. The 1st Brazilian Conference on the Foundations of Quantum Theories aims to encourage the collaboration between physicists, philosophers and mathematicians that work on the interdisciplinary area of foundations of quantum theories. Participants will engage primarily in debates about quantum-theoretical questions at the intersection of physics, mathematics and philosophy, but also in a meta-level debate of how these fields can productively interact to sharpen our understanding of the world as portrayed by quantum theory. We invite you all to join us in this discussion.

Conference Format 

This conference will feature physicists, philosophers of physics and mathematicians.

Main talks will last 45 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of commentary and discussion.

Submitted talks will last 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. We encourage researchers from physics, philosophy and mathematics to submit abstracts for talks.  

Call for posters to be presented at the 1st Brazilian Conference on Foundations of Quantum Physics is also open. The poster forum will take place in the morning of August 11th. Undergraduates who work on foundations of quantum theories or related topics are especially encouraged to submit poster abstracts.

Please address correspondence to 1bcfqt@sciencesconf.org if you have any questions.

Submit your work here.