Histories without collapse

DOI10.1007/S10773-022-05046-5zbMATH Open1486.81006arXiv2012.13430OpenAlexW3118225564MaRDI QIDQ2114003FDOQ2114003

Authors: Anthony Sudbery 

Publication date: 14 March 2022

Published in: International Journal of Theoretical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: This paper is a comparison of two theories of the probability of a history in quantum mechanics. One is derived from Copenhagen quantum mechanics using the projection postulate and is the basis of the "consistent histories" interpretation; the other is based on a proposal by Bell, originally for the "pilot state" theory but here applied to pure unitary quantum mechanics. The first can be used for a wider class of histories but depends on the projection postulate, or "collapse", which is widely held to be an unsatisfactory feature of the theory; the second can be used in a theory of the universal state vector without collapse. We examine a simple model based on Wigner's friend, in which Bell's model and the projection postulate give different probabilities for the histories of a sentient system. We also examine the Frauchiger-Renner extension of this model, in which comparison of the two calculations of histories throws light on the contradiction found by Frauchiger and Renner. By extending the model to equip the observer with a memory, we reduce the probability of histories to the use of the Born rule at a single time, and show that the Born rule, with the memory, gives the same result as applying projection in the course of the history, because of entanglement with the memory: entanglement implements collapse. We discuss the implications of this for the use of histories in quantum cosmology.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.13430

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zbMATH Keywords

foundationsquantum mechanicshistories

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Physics (00A79) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15) Quantum coherence, entanglement, quantum correlations (81P40) Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to quantum theory (81-01)

Cites Work

• Consistent Quantum Theory
• Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• This damned quantum jumping
• The logic of the future in quantum theory
• Single-world theory of the extended Wigner's friend experiment
• Nonlocality versus modified realism
• John Bell and the great enterprise

Cited In (2)

• History Presentation of collapse models
• Distinguishing initial state-vectors from each other in histories formulations and the PBR argument

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