Pedro Barrios Hita's Team Builds Real-Number Quantum Model, Removing Complex Numbers From 100-Year Framework
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jul 9
Pedro Barrios Hita's Team Builds Real-Number Quantum Model, Removing Complex Numbers From 100-Year Framework
1 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jul 9
Summary
A June 18 Physical Review Letters study built a working quantum-mechanics framework using only real numbers, matching standard theory's predictions for multipartite entanglement experiments.
The result overturns a 2021 argument that real-number quantum mechanics must fail because it assumed the textbook tensor product as the only way to combine quantum systems.
Barrios Hita's team replaced that rule with a construction that tracks the two real components of a complex number separately using particle "flags," then treats some flag states as physically equivalent.
The model does not change any experimental predictions or enable new technology, and it currently applies only to finite-dimensional systems rather than the infinite-dimensional cases common in physics.
The work reframes complex numbers as a mathematical convenience rather than a quantum necessity, settling a decades-long debate while leaving extensions to broader systems for future research.
Quantum theory no longer needs imaginary numbers, but at a huge cost. Is this a breakthrough or a mathematical curiosity?
If complex numbers are just a physics 'shortcut', what other scientific 'truths' are merely convenient tools?
Quantum Theory Reimagined: Pedro Barrios Hita’s 2026 Real-Number Model Replaces Complex Numbers
Overview
In June 2026, Pedro Barrios Hita and his team introduced a groundbreaking real-number quantum model that challenges the long-held belief that complex numbers are essential in quantum mechanics. Traditionally, complex numbers—combining real and imaginary parts—have been fundamental for describing how quantum particles behave like waves, especially for explaining interference and superposition. The new framework removes the need for complex numbers by using pairs of real numbers to represent quantum states, offering an alternative yet equally accurate description of the quantum world. This breakthrough suggests that the mathematical tools used in quantum physics may be more flexible than previously thought.