Trouble for physical collapse models?

In summary, recent experiments are challenging the long-standing physical-collapse theories that have attempted to explain the strange nature of the quantum world. Philip Ball, a science writer, believes that these experiments have essentially proven these theories to be untenable. He compares this to the concept of supersymmetry, where parameters can be adjusted to avoid being disproven, but ultimately the writing is on the wall for these theories. There is also a question raised about whether measuring a collapse model could cause the model itself to collapse.
  • #1
atyy
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https://www.quantamagazine.org/physics-experiments-spell-doom-for-quantum-collapse-theory-20221020/
Experiments Spell Doom for Decades-Old Explanation of Quantum Weirdness
Physical-collapse theories have long offered a natural solution to the central mystery of the quantum world. But a series of increasingly precise experiments are making them untenable.
Philip Ball

On Twitter, he writes "Personally I think recent experiments have indeed pretty much spelt doom for physical collapse models. They were always a long shot, and I applaud that they are testable - but the writing is on the wall."
 
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  • #2
It's like supersymmetry, you can always adjust some parameters to bigger/smaller values, or construct a more complicated model, so that the general idea is not ruled out by the last experiments.
 
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  • #3
Does this mean that when you measure a collapse model, the model itself collapses?
 
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  • #4
PeroK said:
Does this mean that when you measure a collapse model, the model itself collapses?
I read the same article and came looking!
 
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