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Lynch101
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- Wave function collapse and the relativity of simultaneity
This thread is to look at the notion of wave function collapse and relativity of simultaneity. The other thread I started on QFT has helped to clarify a lot, so hopefully this one can do the same.
I may have this all wrong, but I will outline my question and hopefully someone can point out where I've gone astray.
Thought Experiment
The standard thought experiment with Alice and Bob each being sent one of a pair of entangled particles. I think I've seen it formulated before whereby [in a given referecence frame], Alice and Bob measure the particles simultaneously. Then, in relatively moving reference frames the order of them measuring the particles changes depending on the motion of the frame (as a result of relativity of simultaneity).
From my understanding, the wave function for each of them collapses the instant it is measured by one of them, but because they cannot communicate/signal each other faster than the speed of light, there is no violation of causality. Am I even in the right ball park with this?Questions
I may have this all wrong, but I will outline my question and hopefully someone can point out where I've gone astray.
Thought Experiment
The standard thought experiment with Alice and Bob each being sent one of a pair of entangled particles. I think I've seen it formulated before whereby [in a given referecence frame], Alice and Bob measure the particles simultaneously. Then, in relatively moving reference frames the order of them measuring the particles changes depending on the motion of the frame (as a result of relativity of simultaneity).
From my understanding, the wave function for each of them collapses the instant it is measured by one of them, but because they cannot communicate/signal each other faster than the speed of light, there is no violation of causality. Am I even in the right ball park with this?Questions
- What about in the case where only one of them makes a measurement: let's say Bob just doesn't bother to measure his particle. Does the wave function for his particle still collapse?
- If so, and in accordance with the relativity of simultaneity, will there be a reference frame in which the wave function of Bob's particle spontaneously collapses and causes the collapse of Alice's particle?
- Is the wave function in QM completely non-physical?