Ability to influence quantum probability

[cube137]

I'm writing a short story about the hero having the ability to control quantum probability.

First. Is there any sci-fi novel that explores the ability to control it? Can it imitate telekinesis for example the person focusing on "left" direction whereby the wave function probability would skew to the "left"? I guess one can control flame this way by influencing the wave function?

This assumes no quantum interpretation or agnostic about it but just influencing the quantum probability for simplicity.

If you influence your dog body probability to "left". Would the dog simply move to the left or would his cells and organs fail or got mixed up? How about if you do this to objects like a baseball.

Just give me examples all sorts of ways objects can behave when its quantum probability is influenced.

 

[anorlunda]

It's hard because quantum effects things on such a small scale, that people can't notice.

For example, sunglasses let 50% of the light through. But it is random which 50% of the photons get blocked and 50% which get through. If you skewed the probability so that a different 50% would get through, the wearer of the sunglasses still couldn't tell the difference. If you skewed it so that only 10% got through, the glasses would get darker. But the wearer still says, "I have some light sunglasses, and some dark ones. Ho hum."

But a dog or a roulette wheel are much too big for quantum effects. I think most SF readers know that.

 

[cube137]

It's hard because quantum effects things on such a small scale, that people can't notice.

For example, sunglasses let 50% of the light through. But it is random which 50% of the photons get blocked and 50% which get through. If you skewed the probability so that a different 50% would get through, the wearer of the sunglasses still couldn't tell the difference. If you skewed it so that only 10% got through, the glasses would get darker. But the wearer still says, "I have some light sunglasses, and some dark ones. Ho hum."

But a dog or a roulette wheel are much too big for quantum effects. I think most SF readers know that.

I mean influencing the entire quantum probability of the dog as a whole or marbles.. can't you cause the marbles to move (telekinesis) by skewing all of its position observables to the left?

 

[anorlunda]

Well, this is the SF and Fantasy forum, so you can do anything you can imagine including telekinesis. It's more a question of getting readers to buy into the idea.

 

[berkeman]

Thread closed for Moderation...

 

[fresh_42]

Thread re-opened.

@cube137 Note that what you have asked is impossible, so it cannot be answered seriously. You have to invent a sort of mechanism that allows you to do that. But then, the physics as we not it doesn't apply anymore!

 

[anorlunda]

If you ask reader's to believe telekinesis, that's one thing. If you say that it is quantum, they have to believe two things. Make it easy for your readers.

 

[cube137]

For isolated systems. I know what it's like to influence the quantum probability. For example in China, the scientists where able to measure that the half-life of radioactive isotope 241 Americium could be altered by "special subjects" producing 12% difference.

Ok. Let's treat it as china science fiction or sloppiness which we can take as science fiction.

The point of the above is I have no problem understanding what it would be like to influence the probability of small quantum objects.

What I'd like to understand in principle is what would happen if the sci-fi subject can influence the position observable probability of a piece of marble. Can the subject deform it or can you make it move? Or other effects?

This is just one of the few details I'll include in my 300 page sci-fi books, don't worry. Of course the rest would be action but at least just need to mention it just to fill up the pages. Writers need ideas to fill up hundreds of pages. I already included romance, action, politics.. so it's reasonable to include some theoretical discussions.

 

[berkeman]

Raise my hand...

 

[cube137]

Ah.. influencing the position observable probability in your hands can only raise it? My concern is what if it can deform it such that there is no proportional changes in all atoms or molecules meaning it can mutate the molecules and in the case of the marble, break it?

Let's say the influence is proportional. So if one can make the position observable jump 1 meter, then the marble would teleport 1 meter? But 1 meter distance is not within the normal wave function or probability clouds of molecular system. This is why I wonder if spacetime needs to be involved. Or can one extend the molecular probability cloud by 1 meter?

Remember in a letter dated 1954, Albert Einstein wrote to Max Born “Let ψ1 and ψ2 be solutions of the same Schrödinger equation.. ... When the system is a macrosystem and when ψ1 and ψ2 are ‘narrow’ with respect to the macrocoordinates, then in by far the greater number of cases this is no longer true for ψ = ψ1 + ψ2. Narrowness with respect to macrocoordinates is not only independent of the principles of quantum mechanics, but, moreover, incompatible with them.”