Related papers: Is the Past Determined?
Physical systems in real life are inextricably linked to their surroundings and never completely separated from them. Truly closed systems do not exist. The phenomenon of decoherence, which is brought about by the interaction with the…
Physics takes for granted that interacting physical systems with no common history are independent, before their interaction. This principle is time-asymmetric, for no such restriction applies to systems with no common future, after an…
We analyze statistical consequences of a conjecture that there exists a fundamental (indivisible) quant of time. We study particle dynamics with discrete time. We show that a quantum-like interference pattern could appear as a statistical…
As a basis for epistemological study of ``time,'' we analyze three suspect phenomena introduced by modern physics: non-locality, asymmetric aging and advanced interaction. It is shown that all three arise in connection with what has to be…
Simultaneously implementing two arbitrary quantum measurements on the same system is impossible. The consequence of this limitation is that selecting one measurement actively excludes other possibilities. Two incompatible choices can then…
We propose to experimentally test non-deterministic time evolution in quantum mechanics by consecutive measurements of non-commuting observables on the same prepared state. While in the standard theory the measurement outcomes are…
I argue that nonlocal decision of the outcomes at detection excludes any alternative theory to quantum mechanics: Not all that matters for the results of physical experiments is content in space-time, but all that is in space-time is…
The quantum first-detection problem concerns the statistics of the time at which a system, subject to repeated measurements, is observed in a prescribed target state for the first time. Unlike its classical counterpart, the measurement back…
An operationally well-defined delayed-choice quantum-eraser experiment is proposed, realizing a genuine delayed choice within presently available quantum-optical technology. A multimode quantum memory supplies a controlled and verifiable…
According to quantum theory, the outcomes of future measurements cannot (in general) be predicted with certainty. In some cases, even with a complete physical description of the system to be measured and the measurement apparatus, the…
One of the most surprising consequences of quantum mechanics is the entanglement of two or more distant particles. In an entangled EPR two-particle system, the value of the momentum (position) for neither single subsystem is determined.…
A strongly deterministic theory of physics is one that permits exactly one possible history of the universe. In the words of Penrose (1989), ''it is not just a matter of the future being determined by the past; the entire history of the…
Time is one of the undisputed foundations of our life in the real world. Here it is argued that inside small isolated quantum systems, time does not pass as we are used to, and it is primarily in this sense that quantum objects enjoy only…
A central open problem of quantum physics is to reconcile theory with experience. In this work I present a framework for studying distinct modes of experience in a superposed world. A modes of experience is characterized by how the world,…
Sequential measurements of non-commuting observables produce order effects that are well-known in quantum physics. But their conceptual basis, a significant measurement interaction, is relevant for far more general situations. We argue that…
It is often thought that the existence of other worlds cannot be scientifically verified and therefore should be treated as philosophical speculation. In this article, I describe several methods for determining if other worlds exist, even…
Usual quantum mechanics predicts probabilities for the outcomes of measurements carried out at definite moments of time. However, realistic measurements do not take place in an instant, but are extended over a period of time. The assumption…
Quantum effects arising from manifestly broken time-reversal symmetry are investigated using time-dependent perturbation theory in a simple model. The forward time and the backward time Hamiltonians are taken to be different and hence the…
"The unambiguous account of proper quantum phenomena must, in principle, include a description of all relevant features of experimental arrangement" (Bohr). The measurement process is composed of pre-measurement (quantum correlation of the…
We investigate the power of weak measurements in the framework of quantum state discrimination. First, we define and analyze the notion of weak consecutive measurements. Our main result is a convergence theorem whereby we demonstrate when…