One of the dark clouds over the theory of quantum mechanics is one of the most fundamental conclusions of the Copenhagen School: that measurement leads to the collapse of the wave function. This assumption, because of the introduction of subjective consciousness and contrary to everyday experience, has an idealistic component, so it has been questioned by the giants of science, including Einstein, and because of the great success of the theoretical system of quantum mechanics, this assumption has been set aside in controversy, and will be used for nearly a hundred years, as well as debated for nearly a hundred years, and has not been resolved in a better way. The author, in order to be able to unify the quantum wave function collapse, a quantum physical phenomenon, with our daily classical feelings, introduces the concepts of timeline, historical time, current moment, future time and so on to be discussed, and argues that the Copenhagen School's ''measurement leads to wave function collapse'' ' assumption is incorrect! It should be modified as follows: the collapse of the wave function is independent of the measurement, and the intrinsic properties of time cause the wave function to collapse. The act of measurement only causes the measured sub to change its state of motion. Second conclusion: all quantum wave functions in past time have collapsed and all quantum wave functions in future time have not collapsed. At the current moment, the wave function is collapsing. Possible hypotheses further triggered by the solution of the problem (to be argued). Set 1: The physical meaning of time in the theory of defined quantum mechanics is that the evolution of time is a process of quantum wave function collapse. Set 2: Space-time possesses quantum properties (space-time has a minimum). Setup 3: The quantum property of spacetime confers quantum properties on elementary particles. Setup 4: Historical time is not ductile, whereas future time may be ductile (shortened or lengthened) in the sense of relativity. Setup 5: Quantum space-time is equivalent to relativistic space-time.
Figure from Baidu Image
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I.
Introduction to the current measurement problem: Since its development at the beginning of the last century, quantum mechanics has been characterized by a number of well-known conceptual disputes. Among them, the so-called measurement problem of quantum mechanics has become one of the most fundamental issues in this protracted battle over the worldview of quantum mechanics.
According to the standard of quantum mechanics, the quantum has a collapsed form of the wave function, and its law of motion consists of two parts. One is the linear dynamics: if a physical system is not measured, it will evolve in a deterministic, linear way according to the Schr?dinger equation; the second is the nonlinear collapse dynamics: if a measurement is made on the system, the system will immediately leap nonlinearly and randomly from the initial superposition state to an eigenstate of the observable quantity that is being measured, at which point the experimenter perceives a deterministic observed value This is the corresponding eigenvalue of the eigenstate, which was first proposed by P. Dirac and John von Neumann in the early 1930s in an attempt to harmonize the theoretical work of W. Heisenberg and W. Schrodinger with the M. Born's odds ratio interpretation. interpretation and the eigenstate-eigenvalue correlation first proposed by M. Born.
This creates a logical contradiction between the universal validity of Schr?dinger's equation, the reliability of the experimenter's perception, and the eigenstate-eigenvalue correlation called the measurement problem. On the one hand, the universal validity of the Schr?dinger equation requires that the Schr?dinger equation governs the evolution of the dynamics of every physical system in the universe, so that in quantum measurements a macroscopic instrument used to measure any microscopic object will evolve almost surely with the object to be measured into a quantum-entangled state rather than into an eigenstate of the instrument's pointer-observable quantity; and on the other hand, according to the eigenstate -Eigenvalue correlation, if the experimenter is awake, their conclusion of the measurement will be that they obtained a measurement in a definite direction indicated by the pointer of the instrument, i.e., a definite observable, rather than a quantum superposition state of the pointer.
How can this logical contradiction be resolved? Although orthodox quantum theorists often appeal to the "collapse hypothesis" or quantum-classical "splitting" to solve this problem, it seems to them that the universal validity of Schr?dinger's equation is the only dangerous assumption. However, none of the three assumptions mentioned above is superfluous in the origin of this contradiction, and the denial of any of them is sufficient to escape from this dilemma. In order to avoid the contradiction, at least one of the three assumptions must be rejected. The universal validity of the Schr?dinger equation in the quantum world is an acceptable assumption according to the inherent requirements of the formal system of quantum mechanics. And if we retain the reliability of the experimenter's perception, then the eigenstate-eigenvalue correlation becomes an assumption that can be considered for removal.
It can be said that von Neumann's theory of quantum measurement was the first to break N. Bohr's assumption of the quantum-classical "split", i.e., that the classical apparatus for quantum measurement is essential, and pioneered the theoretical exploration of the dynamical mechanism of quantum measurement by consistent quantum mechanics. This theoretical attempt, however, was not supported by the fact that it did not take into consideration the However, this theoretical attempt leads to an infinite regression of the instrument because it does not take into account the macroscopic or classical characteristics of the instrument, i.e., the statistical thermodynamic nature of the instrument, but ideally assumes that the instrument is a quantum pointer with only one degree of freedom. In order to cut off the infinite regression of the instrument chain, eliminate the interference term, and realize the "wave packet collapse", von Neumann finally resorted to human consciousness, which led to the philosophical dilemma of physical-psychological parallelism. This dilemma, until now, is still not in line with the reasonable explanation that we can understand.
II.
The author, after some reflection, has found the crux of the measurement problem, and in the following attempts to solve it in a way that can be understood by all people of ordinary intelligence, and tries to formulate a series of new hypotheses. Let's see how we can remove consciousness and subjectivity from quantum mechanics. Feel free to challenge us on the article.
First, let's talk about a very familiar concept: that of "time," which is a minor and neglected player in the arena of quantum mechanics. Although we are very familiar with time, but what is the essence of the definition of time, no one has been answered clearly. And what is the nature of time in the theoretical sense of quantum mechanics?
Try to analyze it. We divide the time axis into two segments, the current moment t? as the boundary, divided into historical time and future time two parts (mathematical illustration: a straight line with a directional arrow on the right, in the middle of the straight line to take a point for the current moment, the point of the right for the future time, the point of the left for the historical time).
In the quantum wavefunction collapse scenario, we assume that its collapse process is labeled by time: over time, the wavefunction on the future time axis is not collapsed, and at the time of our observation and measurement (the current moment), the wavefunction is collapsed, and the time axis enters into the historical time at the same time. We find that the observation or measurement always overlaps with the moment t? Folks, is it time, which is intimately connected to our 3D space, that plays a role, or is it the consciousness of the observer? Whether there is an intelligent being observing or not, the wave function of all quanta throughout the universe has been collapsing as one current moment t? passes, and the quanta that are not disturbed to be measured are still in motion, and have been in motion, and remain in the superposition state of the quantum wave function for the next future time; while some of the quantum particles that are being measured have naturally changed their state of motion . This process, which can be understood by our everyday experience, was formulated by the Copenhagen School as a partial approximation of the result of such a part as ''measurement leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function''.
We can now assume a different conclusion from the previous one: that the quantum has collapsed its wavefunction in historical time (symbol t-), that the wavefunction is collapsing at the current moment t? and that it stays in the wavefunction state at a future time t*. Taking a single quantum as an example, a photon in the depths of the universe, racing from a star 10 billion light-years away, reaches the edge of the solar system, and according to current theories of quantum mechanics, this photon is like a ghost, i.e., here and there (i.e., a quantum superposition state), before it enters our eyes, i.e., before it is observed by us. Until the photon reaches the earth, and when we see it, in this instant, on my retina, collapses into a solid point of light! It is at this moment that its wavefunction collapses into substance (Copenhagen School view), so the photon flies to the edge of the solar system because we haven't observed it yet, and it is still in the wavefunction state. And by my hypothetical interpretation, it would be that this photon of light, which reached the edge of the solar system 10 billion years ago all the way to the present, has been collapsing! Let's set the photon traveling to the edge of the solar system at t?, then this photon has traveled from 10 billion years ago to the edge of the solar system through one (and only one) fixed channel. In the yet-to-be-arrived space from the edge of the solar system to the Earth, this photon is in an indeterminate state, and its path is predicted to be a quantum superposition state, i.e., there are many possible paths through which it could travel. Until it reaches Earth, collapses at another t? moment and enters our eyes while being absorbed by the retina, ending its 10-billion-year journey, while other photons of the same origin, which graze our ears three centimeters away from our eyes, continue to move until they interact with other particles.
This process, which matches our daily experience quite well, is very clear and easy to understand, and we can find out that the measurement is not the cause of the wavefunction collapse, but rather it leads to a change in the state of motion of the quanta, which is misinterpreted due to the fact that the act of measurement overlaps with t? in time, and that the quanta that have not been measured are still objectively collapsing as per the current moment. Therefore, my hypothesis fully covers both measured and unmeasured states, without affecting the practicality of the theory of quantum mechanics.
Next, we use this to explain the double-grid experiment with light. Set one we take the departure moment of the photon from the light source as t? before the experiment, then the photon passes through the double grating time as the future time, and the photon randomly selects one of the double grating in a superposition state (the line of travel is not determined). Set up two, we measure in the experiment, after the double grating, that is, set t? for the photon has passed through the double grating, we will certainly find that the photon has passed through one of the double grating (of course, the photon can also be a small probability of not through the double grating to enter the detection system, quantum tunnelling, ignored for the time being here), and its movement line is single, in line with my assumption of the quantum performance in the history of the time. If we take the photon hitting the fluorescent screen at the moment t?, we will find that successive individual photons will form interference fringes on the fluorescent screen, which is equivalent to simultaneous irradiation of multiple photons.
Here's how to ''catch'' Schr?dinger's cat.
First, let's recap the classic thought experiment. In a box there is a cat, and a small amount of radioactive material. There is a 50% chance that the radioactive material will decay and release a poisonous gas that will kill the cat, and a 50% chance that the radioactive material will not decay and the cat will survive. According to classical physics, one of these two outcomes must occur inside the box, and an outside observer can only know the outcome inside by opening the box. In the quantum world, while the box is closed, the whole system remains in a wave state of uncertainty, i.e., the cat lives and dies in a superposition. Whether the cat is dead or alive must be determined after the box has been opened and the matter has manifested itself in the form of particles when observed by an outside observer. This experiment is designed to argue that quantum mechanics on the micro-particle world beyond common sense knowledge and understanding, but this makes the micro-uncertainty principle into a macro-uncertainty principle, the objective law is not subject to human will, the cat is both alive and dead against logical thinking.
In this system, starting with my hypothesis, if we set t? as the moment the box is opened, if the cat dies, it must happen in historical time, and you can see the dead cat; if the cat is not dead, the upcoming future timeline, the cat may die at any time, which is indeed in a quantum superposition state, but matches with our daily experience. If we set t? as a moment before doing the experiment (Schr?dinger assumed, it seems to be exactly this moment), then the experiment has not yet begun, the cat in the black box on the future timeline, at any time there is a possibility of death, very normal in the two possibilities of superposition of the state, it is exactly the wave function can be used to describe the state of the cat.
To summarize: regardless of whether it is observed and measured or not, the cat inside the black box, with the arrival of the current moment t?, the wave function has collapsed, and the cat keeps collapsing from a quantum superposition state to a one-fixed state in historical time; while in the future time t* segment, the cat is still in a quantum superposition state. It turns out that there are two ''Schr?dinger's cats'', a cat in the historical collapsed state and a cat in the future superposition state.
Three conclusions:
1. The Copenhagen School's assumption of ''measurement leads to wave function collapse'' is incorrect! It should be modified to read: the collapse of the wave function is independent of the measurement, and the intrinsic property of time leads to the collapse of the wave function.
2. On the time axis, the current moment is used as the boundary between historical time and future time. It is derived that all quantum wave functions in past time have collapsed and all quantum wave functions in future time have not collapsed. The current moment is the instantaneous collapse point of the quantum wave function.
Summary: the quantum mechanical theory of the initial period, because the understanding of the probability of collapse is still vague, although at that time Heisenberg used the act of measurement instead of t? temporarily solved the problem of practicability, but therefore the introduction of a subjective factor, breaking the European seventeenth century since the establishment of dozens of generations of scientists through the Newton system of scientific worldview (the Renaissance allowed Europe from the long secularism of the Middle Ages) (The Renaissance allowed Europe to escape from the long secular Middle Ages, and the logical natural sciences allowed European countries to become world powers, and the understanding of and attitude toward science down through the centuries allowed countless classical physicists to instinctively oppose the more subjective parts of quantum mechanics), and it is conceivable that the voices against quantum mechanics at that time were so strong! The resulting polemics caused a large number of the best scientists, such as Albert Einstein, to become ambivalent about the theory of quantum mechanics, and to stop or reduce their research into quantum mechanics. Although quantum mechanics with its overall system and experimental results of perfect conformity, and ultimately won, but nearly a century ago this big polemic a has continued to the present. Not long ago, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the former president of the Southern University of Science and Technology still wrote an article to amplify this topic between quantum mechanics and consciousness, intended to serve as a strong evidence of materialism and Buddhism, which can be seen in the wide-ranging impact of this issue, the impact of the bad.
In addition, the concept of time is familiar to our daily experience and is a readily available concept in the theories of classical physics, relativity, and quantum mechanics, and the introduction of the concept of time in the process of quantum wavefunction collapsing, instead of being abrupt, it also gives quantum mechanics more space for thinking and researching, for example, in combination with the process of collapsing the wavefunction, our understanding of the nature of time, and a deeper step, we find that our The process of the evolution of the universe, that is, the process of the passage of time and the delay of space, is also precisely the process of quantum evolution, the process of the collapse of future possibilities into historical reality. If this theory is valid, we can conclude that even according to Einstein's theory of relativity, we can't build a machine like "time tunnel" to go back to the past! Because from the quantum mechanical interpretation of time, the wave function of historical time has collapsed, and it is impossible to go back in time to create another possibility. Perhaps many sci-fi movies will not be recognized by the scientific community after this.
Further assumptions are as follows, Set 1: Define the physical meaning of time in the theory of quantum mechanics: the flow of time is the process of the collapse of the quantum wave function. Set 2: Space-time has quantum properties (space-time has a minimum). Setup 3: The quantum property of spacetime confers quantum properties on elementary particles. Setup 4: Historical time is not ductile, whereas future time may be ductile (shortened or lengthened) in the sense of relativity. Setup 5: Quantum space-time, classical space-time and relativistic space-time are identical.
Note: When the current moment is equal to the measured moment, t? is included in historical time.