Interferentsists

Interferentsists are a loose collective of scholars and researchers who advocate an interference-centric conception of physical systems. They argue that interference phenomena, not individual particle properties, should be treated as the primary evidentiary basis for understanding microphysical reality. The term is used to describe both philosophical positions and experimental programs that foreground phase relations and coherence as fundamental.

Origin and core ideas: Emerging in the 2010s within discussions of quantum foundations, Interferentsism emphasizes that the observable features of experiments—such as fringes, visibility, and coherence length—drive ontology and theory choice. They view the wave aspect as ontologically primary, with particle-like attributes emerging only as context-dependent, relational effects in interferometric setups. They generally prefer models that explain outcomes via interference networks rather than intrinsic hidden variables.

Theory and methods: Interferentsists study multi-path interference, interference in complex systems, and the role of phase in correlations. They use interferometric experiments, quantum simulations, and coherence theory to argue that effective properties of systems are determined by the global interference structure. They often connect to measurement theory, arguing that measurement reveals and reshapes interference contexts.

Organizational and notable figures: The movement operates through informal research groups and institutes, such as the Interferentsist Institute for Foundational Studies. Proponents include Elena Morani, Hiro Tanaka, and Amina Idris.

Reception and critique: The view is controversial; many physicists see it as a reinterpretation of existing quantum-mechanical formalism rather than new physics. Critics argue it risks adding interpretive baggage without new predictions beyond standard quantum theory. Proponents respond that it clarifies the role of coherence and helps unify diverse interference phenomena across disciplines.

See also: Interference; Wave-particle duality; Decoherence; Quantum foundations.