Ontological model of a quantum system (${\mu }_{\psi }(\lambda ),{\xi }_j(\lambda )$)

An ontological model associates each quantum state preparation with a probability distribution over underlying physical states $\lambda$. A quantum measurement's response probabilities depend on its specification and $\lambda$, sum to one, and reproduce the Born rule when averaged over the preparation distribution. The model need not assign deterministic outcomes. Overlap or disjointness of preparation measures defines the psi-epistemic model versus psi-ontic model distinction.

Under preparation independence, an ontological model of a quantum system reproducing exact quantum quantum measurement probabilities cannot assign overlapping preparation measures to distinct pure states. An exclusion quantum measurement on independent copies makes every outcome impossible for one possible preparation; a common ontic region would require every response to vanish there. Thus the conclusion is a psi-ontic model, not a blanket exclusion of hidden variables or all informational interpretations.

If two pure quantum states overlap by $(1/\sqrt{2}{)}^{1/n}$, their $n$-copy states have overlap $1/\sqrt{2}$. Each block spans an effective qubit, with orthonormal basis $e_0={\Psi }_1$ and $e_1=\sqrt{2}{\Psi }_2-{\Psi }_1$. Applying the two-block PBR exclusion measurement for zero and plus uses $2n$ independently prepared copies. A common single-copy ontic overlap of positive mass remains positive under this finite tensor power.

The product preparations $00,0+,+0,++$ are excluded respectively by the orthonormal vectors $(01+10)/\sqrt{2}$, $(00-01+10+11)/2$, $(00+01-10+11)/2$ and $(00-11)/\sqrt{2}$, written in the computational basis. Each vector has zero inner product with its labelled preparation. This projective measurement gives antidistinguishable quantum states and drives the two-copy PBR theorem contradiction.

Independently operated quantum state preparations are assumed to produce independent underlying physical states. Their joint preparation measure factors into the single-system measures. This ontic factorization is an additional assumption, not a consequence of operational independence alone. It turns a common single-system overlap of mass $\epsilon$ into a common $n$-system overlap of mass ${\epsilon }^n$ in the PBR theorem.

An ontological model of a quantum system is psi-epistemic if some pair of distinct pure states has preparation measures with nonzero overlap. The same physical state can then be compatible with either preparation. This precise measure-overlap definition is stronger than merely interpreting a wave function as information or a computational tool.

An ontological model of a quantum system is psi-ontic if distinct pure states have mutually singular preparation distributions. The physical state then determines which pure quantum state was prepared, almost surely in the pairwise sense. Extra underlying variables may still exist. The PBR theorem establishes this conclusion under preparation independence and exact quantum predictions.