Can measuring certain operators in a quantum system have deadly consequences?

[Count Iblis]

A variant of Schrödinger's cat experiment:
Consider operators with eigenstates of the form |dead> + |alive>. If we could somehow measure such an operator we could kill a healthy person by just observing.

So, what is going on here?
Consider a simpler problem: A particle in symmetric two well potential separated by a potential barrier inbetween. If we put the particle in the left well and measure the energy, the wavefunction will collapse to an eigenstate of the Hamiltonian, which are symmetric or anti-symmetric linear combinations of the particle in the left and right well. So, if we measure the energy and then measure the position of the particle, the particle has 50% chance of moving from the left to the right well, regardless of how high the barrier in the middle is.

So, the measurement must involve a strong interaction with the particle. The higher the barrier is the more difficult it is to measure the Hamiltonian because the symmetric and anti-symmetric wavefunctions become almost degenerate.

 

[harshant]

If we could measure the observable you talked about, we would be putting the system into one of the 2 eigenstates - either |dead>+|alive> or |dead>-|alive>- now nobody knows the physical meaning these 2 states because nobody has ever measured an observable with the given operator, therefore we cannot really talk about being dead or alive. This is what i think...

 

[denian]

This means that the measurement process is highly sensitive to the initial conditions and the environment, making it difficult to control and predict the outcome.

Now, let's apply this to the scenario of measuring certain operators in a quantum system that has eigenstates of |dead> + |alive>. This operator would represent a state of being both alive and dead simultaneously, similar to Schrödinger's cat experiment. The act of measuring this operator would involve a strong interaction with the system, causing the wavefunction to collapse to either the state of being alive or dead. This collapse is a random process, meaning that the outcome is unpredictable.

In this case, the deadly consequences would arise if we were to measure the operator in a system that represents a living person. The collapse of the wavefunction would determine whether the person is alive or dead, and there is no way to control or predict the outcome. This highlights the potential danger of measuring certain operators in quantum systems and the importance of considering the consequences before conducting such experiments.

It is also worth noting that this scenario is purely theoretical and does not have any practical implications in our current understanding of quantum mechanics. The principles of quantum mechanics are well-tested and have not shown any evidence of causing harm in the real world. However, it is always important for scientists to consider the potential consequences of their experiments and to conduct them with caution and ethical considerations in mind.