The discussion centers on Schrödinger's cat thought experiment and its implications regarding observation in quantum mechanics (QM). It is established that, from the modern decoherence perspective, the cat can indeed "observe" itself, leading to a definitive state of being either alive or dead prior to the box being opened. The conversation highlights that both living and non-living macroscopic objects, such as rocks, can decohere themselves due to their numerous quantum degrees of freedom. The misrepresentation of Schrödinger's intentions in popular media is also addressed, emphasizing that his experiment was meant to illustrate flaws in the understanding of QM rather than propose a definitive solution.
PREREQUISITESStudents of physics, quantum mechanics enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the philosophical implications of observation in quantum theory will benefit from this discussion.
In the modern decoherence viewpoint, yes, the cat can "observe" itself, meaning decohere itself, so it is either alive or dead before the box is opened.SamuelCunningham3456 said:is the cat technically the observer
In terms of decoherence there is no difference between a cat and a nonliving macroscopic object like a rock. Both have a very large number of quantum degrees of freedom and can decohere themselves.SamuelCunningham3456 said:Should Schrödinger's thought experiment only work with non living objects?
The cat is frequently misrepresented in the popular press. Schrödinger was not saying that's how he thought it worked, he was using the contradictions to show that something had to be wrong with the then-current (100 years ago, and we've figured out a lot more since then) understanding of QM.SamuelCunningham3456 said:In the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment is the cat technically the observer because The cat can observe if its alive or dyeing?
That was sort of vaguely one resolution of the problem back then, more often stated as "consciousness causes collapse". It turns out that that approach just pushes the problem around (google for "Wigner's friend") without really clearing anything up. The bigger breakthrough came a few decades later with the discovery of quantum decoherence - David Lindley's book "Where does the weirdness go?" is laymanfriendly and a pretty decent explanation - give it a try.Should Schrödinger's thought experiment only work with non living objects?