Related papers: Consciousness and the Collapse of the Wave Functio…
In a recent note David Mermin attributed the idea that wave function collapse is a physical process to a misunderstanding of probability and the role it plays in quantum mechanics. There are, however, further misconceptions at play, some of…
It is often claimed that the collapse of the wave function and Born's rule to interpret the square of the norm as a probability, have to be introduced as separate axioms in quantum mechanics besides the Schroedinger equation. Here we show…
The quantum Zeno effect consists in the hindrance of the evolution of a quantum system that is very frequently monitored and found to be in its initial state at every single measurement. On the basis of the correct formula for the survival…
The Diosi-Penrose model of quantum-classical boundary postulates gravity-related spontaneous wave function collapse of massive degrees of freedom. The decoherence effects of the collapses are in principle detectable if not masked by the…
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…
The most peculiar, specifically quantum, features of quantum mechanics --- quantum nonlocality, indeterminism, interference of probabilities, quantization, wave function collapse during measurement --- are explained on a logical-geometrical…
A reasonable explanation of the confounding wave-particle duality of matter is presented in terms of the reality of the wave nature of a particle. In this view a quantum particle is an objectively real wave packet consisting of irregular…
We study the influence of a detector on the decay law of a quantum state whose "undisturbed" survival probability is purely exponential. In particular, we consider a detector with a finite energy band of detection, i.e. it interacts only…
If the initial quantum state of the universe is a multiverse superposition over many different sets of values of the effective coupling "constants" of physics, and if this quantum state collapses to an eigenstate of the set of coupling…
We apply the formalism of quantum measurement theory to the idealized measurement of the position of a particle with an optical interferometer, finding that the backaction of counting entangled photons systematically collapses the…
I present a simple argument for why a fundamental theory that unifies matter and gravity gives rise to what seems to be a collapse of the wavefunction. The resulting model is local, parameter-free and makes testable predictions.
We introduce the quantum theoretical formulation to determine a posteriori, if existing, the quantum wave functions and to estimate the quantum interference effects of mental states. Such quantum features are actually found in the case of…
The effect of quantum collapse and revival is a fascinating interference phenomenon. In this paper the phenomenon is demonstrated analytically and numerically for a simple system, a slightly anharmonic Hamiltonian. The initial wave-function…
We have studied quantum coherent oscillations of two qubits under continuous measurement by a symmetrically coupled mesoscopic detector. The analysis is based on a Bayesian formalism that is applicable to individual quantum systems.…
It is generally agreed that decoherence theory is, if not a complete answer, at least a great step forward towards a solution of the quantum measurement problem. It is shown here however that in the cases in which a sentient being is…
It is shown that within a quantum system, the wave field has a (potential) energy content that can be exchanged with quantum particles. Energy conservation in quantum systems holds if potential energy is correctly taken to be a field…
The quantum measurement problem, the unresolved conflict between the unitary evolution of the wave function and the postulate of wave function collapse, remains the most profound conceptual challenge in quantum foundations. While…
We present a decoherence-based interpretation for the quantum Zeno effect (QZE) where measurements are dynamically treated as dispersive couplings of the measured system to the apparatus, rather than the von Neumann's projections. It is…
The hard problem of consciousness is the question how subjective experience arises from brain matter. I suggest exploring the possibility that quantum physics could be part of the answer. The simultaneous unity and complexity of subjective…
The evolution of a quantum system is supposed to be impeded by measurement of an involved observable. This effect has been proven indistinguishable from the effect of dephasing the system's wave function, except in an individual quantum…