Quantum measurement problem paper

[wolram]

http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/quant-ph/pdf/0506/0506100.pdf

Title: A New Ontological View of the Quantum Measurement Problem
Authors: Xiaolei Zhang
Comments: 37 pages. US Naval Research Lab memorandum report NRL/MR/7218--05-8883, paper to be presented at the Albert Einstein Century conference, Paris, France, July 2005

A new ontological view of the quantum measurement processes is given, which has bearings on many broader issues in the foundations of quantum mechanics as well. In this scenario a quantum measurement is a non-equilibrium phase transition in a ``resonant cavity'' formed by the entire physical universe including all of its material and energy content. A quantum measurement involves the energy and matter exchange among not only the system being measured and the measuring apparatus but also the global environment of the universe resonant cavity, which together constrain the nature of the phase transition. Strict realism, including strict energy and angular momentum conservation, is recovered in this view of the quantum measurement process beyond the limit set by the uncertainty relations, which are themselves derived from the exact commutation relations for quantum conjugate variables. Both the amplitude and the phase of the quantum mechanical wavefunction acquire substantial meanings in the new ontology, and the probabilistic element is removed from the foundations of quantum mechanics, its apparent presence in the quantum measurement being solely a result of the sensitive dependence on initial/boundary conditions of the phase transitions of a many degree-of-freedom system which is effectively the whole universe. Vacuum fluctuations are viewed as the ``left over'' fluctuations after forming the whole numbers of nonequilibrium resonant modes in the universe cavity. This new view on the quantum processes helps to clarify many puzzles in the foundations of quantum mechanics.

 

[seratend]

http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/quant-ph/pdf/0506/0506100.pdf

Title: A New Ontological View of the Quantum Measurement Problem
Authors: Xiaolei Zhang
Comments: 37 pages. US Naval Research Lab memorandum report NRL/MR/7218--05-8883, paper to be presented at the Albert Einstein Century conference, Paris, France, July 2005

Dude! 37 pages long and less than 10 equations!
I have read in diagonal the paper.
I will say: another set of new words for another possible interpretation of the results of QM.
We may call the universe a cavity and (system+ rest of the universe) a closed system and claim that the energy and angular momentum is conserved (I do not understand why he does not say that the energy-momentum is also conserved). This is the property of every closed system.
After, we have the eternal question: what does he intend by physical collapse? The formal collapse of QM postulates or the interpretation collapse of decoherence, consistent histories, etc ...or its own physical collapse definition?

This new view on the quantum processes helps to clarify many puzzles in the foundations of quantum mechanics.

Well, I think it adds a lot of questions. Especially when considering the vacuum fluctuations impact on the double slit experiment results or any simple closed toy model that does not require the whole universe).

Seratend.

 

[R0man]

The quantum measurement problem has long been a subject of great debate and controversy in the field of quantum mechanics. This paper by Xiaolei Zhang presents a new ontological view of the problem, which not only offers a solution to the measurement problem, but also has implications for broader issues in the foundations of quantum mechanics.

The author proposes that a quantum measurement is a non-equilibrium phase transition within the entire physical universe, including all of its material and energy content. This resonant cavity, formed by the universe, plays a crucial role in the measurement process. The energy and matter exchange among the system being measured, the measuring apparatus, and the global environment of the universe resonant cavity all contribute to the nature of the phase transition. This new ontology also allows for strict realism, including energy and angular momentum conservation, beyond the limits set by uncertainty relations.

Furthermore, the author suggests that both the amplitude and phase of the quantum mechanical wavefunction have substantial meanings in this new view. The probabilistic element, often associated with quantum mechanics, is explained as a result of the sensitive dependence on initial/boundary conditions of the phase transitions within the whole universe. The concept of vacuum fluctuations is also reexamined in this scenario, viewing them as the "left over" fluctuations after forming the whole numbers of nonequilibrium resonant modes in the universe cavity.

Overall, this new ontological view of the quantum measurement problem provides a fresh perspective and helps to clarify many puzzles in the foundations of quantum mechanics. It offers a potential solution to the measurement problem and has implications for our understanding of the universe as a whole. This paper is a valuable contribution to the ongoing discussions and debates surrounding quantum mechanics and its foundations.