Related papers: Epistemology of Wave Function Collapse in Quantum …
Consider a quantum system prepared in state $\psi$, a unit vector in a $d$-dimensional Hilbert space. Let $b_1,...,b_d$ be an orthonormal basis and suppose that, with some probability $0<p<1$, $\psi$ ``collapses,'' i.e., gets replaced by…
Quantum mechanics is an extremely successful theory that agrees with every experiment. However, the principle of linear superposition, a central tenet of the theory, apparently contradicts a commonplace observation: macroscopic objects are…
There are fundamental reasons as to why there should exist a reformulation of quantum mechanics which does not refer to a classical spacetime manifold. It follows as a consequence that quantum mechanics as we know it is a limiting case of a…
In order to reconcile the wave-function collapse in quantum mechanics with the finiteness of signals' propagation in general relativity, we delve into a stochastic version of the Ricci flow and study its non-relativistic limit in presence…
The possibility that the collapse of the wave function in quantum mechanics is a real and ultimately connected to (classical) gravity has been debated for decades, with main contributions by Di\'osi and Penrose. In particular, Di\'osi…
A large number of physicists now admit that quantum mechanics is a non local theory. The EPR argument and the many experiments (including recent loop-hole free tests) showing the violation of Bell's inequalities seem to have confirmed…
The existence of singularities in a closed FRW universe depends on the assumption that general relativity is valid for distances less than the Planck length. However, stationary state wave functions of the Schrodinger equation for a closed…
Both deterministic and indeterministic physical laws are incompatible with control by genuine (non-illusory) free will. We propose that an indeterministic dynamics can be $weakly$ compatible with free will (FW), whereby the latter acts by…
In a recent paper, Conway and Kochen proposed what is now known as the "Free Will theorem" which, among other things, should prove the impossibility of combining GRW models with special relativity, i.e., of formulating relativistically…
This article is a brief survey of some approaches to implementing the suggestion that collapse of the wave function is mediated by gravity. These approaches include: a possible connection between the problem of time and problem of quantum…
Perhaps the quantum state represents information about reality, and not reality directly. Wave function collapse is then possibly no more mysterious than a Bayesian update of a probability distribution given new data. We consider models for…
Wavefunction collapse is usually seen as a discontinuous violation of the unitary evolution of a quantum system, caused by the observation. Moreover, the collapse appears to be nonlocal in a sense which seems at odds with General…
We investigate the meaning of the wave function by analyzing the mass and charge density distribution of a quantum system. According to protective measurement, a charged quantum system has mass and charge density proportional to the modulus…
We discuss the definition of quantum probability in the context of "timeless" general--relativistic quantum mechanics. In particular, we study the probability of sequences of events, or multi-event probability. In conventional quantum…
We are concerned with the problem of detecting with high probability whether a wave function has collapsed or not, in the following framework: A quantum system with a $d$-dimensional Hilbert space is initially in state $\psi$; with…
Quantum cosmology is the quantum theory of the entire universe. Although strange at first sight, it is appropriate because (1) our world appears to be fundamentally quantum, (2) the classical description of gravity breaks down at…
We analyze the Wheeler-DeWitt (WDW) equation in the context of a gravitational collapse. The physics of an expanding/collapsing universe and many details of a collapsing star can classically be described by the Roberston-Walker metric in…
In this paper we examine some proposals to disprove the hypothesis that the interaction between mind and matter causes the collapse of the wave function, showing that such proposals are fundamentally flawed. We then describe a general…
We give a review of recent work aimed at understanding the dynamics of gravitational collapse in quantum gravity. Its goal is to provide a non-perturbative computational framework for understanding the emergence of the semi-classical…
We propose that the mechanism responsible for the ``collapse of the wave function" (or "decoherence" in its broadest meaning) in quantum mechanics is the nonlinearities already present in the theory via nonabelian gauge interactions. Unlike…