General Implications of the Double-Slit Experiment

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the double-slit experiments conducted by physicist Tom Campbell and his team, which aim to provide evidence supporting the simulation theory of the universe. The experiments utilize two USB flash drives: one for recording which-way data and another for capturing the particle/wave impact pattern. Campbell posits that if the impact patterns exhibit an interference pattern only when the which-way data is destroyed prior to observation, it would indicate that reality is a simulation. The implications of these findings raise questions about how skeptics of simulation theory would interpret the results.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of quantum mechanics principles, particularly wave-particle duality.
  • Familiarity with the double-slit experiment methodology and its significance in physics.
  • Knowledge of simulation theory and its philosophical implications.
  • Basic comprehension of data recording techniques in experimental physics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the specifics of Tom Campbell's double-slit experiments and their methodologies.
  • Explore the implications of simulation theory as discussed in Campbell's article "On Testing the Simulation Theory."
  • Investigate responses from the scientific community regarding simulation theory and its critiques.
  • Study the principles of quantum observation and its effects on experimental outcomes.
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, philosophers of science, and anyone interested in the intersection of quantum mechanics and simulation theory will benefit from this discussion.

lifeonmercury
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I've been reading about the sophisticated double-slit experiments currently being conducted by a team of physicists led by Tom Campbell. It's no secret of course that Campbell hopes that the findings of these experiments will strengthen the argument that our universe is a computer simulation. (I'm referring below to Campbell's article entitled "On Testing the Simulation Theory" published in the International Journal of Quantum Foundations in 2017.)

Campbell and his colleagues claim that to minimize computational complexity, the system performing the simulation would render reality only at the moment the corresponding information becomes available for observation by a conscious observer, and the resolution/granularity of the rendering would be adjusted to the level of perception of the observer.

Campbell and his colleagues are running double-slit experiments with two USB flash drives serving as recording devices. One USB flash drive records only the which-way data and the other records only the particle/wave impact pattern. They state that the experiment would support the hypothesis that our reality is entirely virtual if the USB flash drives storing the impact patterns show an interference pattern only in cases where the corresponding USB flash drives containing the which-way data have been destroyed before the impact patterns are viewed.

Let's say that Campbell's experiments give rise to his expected findings, and that these experiments are repeated by other scientists with the same results. How would scientists who are entirely dismissive of the simulation theory respond to this, and what would their explanation of these findings be?
 

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It is not possible to respond to this thread within the PF rules. You are asking people to speculate on unpublished data and on unpublished responses to said unpublished data. Once such data is published and responded to in the professional scientific literature then we can discuss the responses, not before.

This thread is closed
 
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