Multiple processes interpretation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around interpretations of quantum mechanics (QM), particularly focusing on a "multiprocess" interpretation that differs from Everett's Many-Worlds interpretation and may relate to Bohm's interpretation. Participants explore concepts such as unitarity, measurement outcomes, and the implications of closed time loops in general relativity (GR) on quantum mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention a "multiprocess" interpretation of QM that allows for different results from a unique measurement to coincide, similar to Everett's interpretation.
  • Others argue that unitarity is central to QM and that collapse does not occur, suggesting that this perspective is one possible interpretation.
  • There is a discussion about the implications of closed time loops authorized by GR, with references to the Novikov self-consistency principle and its relation to QM.
  • One participant proposes that a particle could evolve unitarily and return as another eigenvector, although this is contested on the grounds of violating the Novikov principle.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about whether different results in measurements present a paradox within the Many-Worlds interpretation, with varying opinions on the existence of paradoxes without collapse.
  • Technical arguments are made regarding Feynman path integrals and their relation to density matrices, with claims that no collapse occurs and that different weights for loops could lead to interference patterns.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the interpretations of QM, the role of unitarity, and the implications of closed time loops. The discussion remains unresolved, with no consensus on the existence of paradoxes or the mainstream acceptance of the proposed ideas.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of references to support claims about the "multiprocess" interpretation and the implications of closed time loops in QM. Some technical arguments remain complex and may depend on specific definitions or assumptions not fully articulated in the discussion.

PaleMoon
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Hi pf,

there was an article in the Stanford encyclopedia about QM that was rewritten.
it quoted a "multiprocess" interpretation differing from Everett's one which could be related to Bohm's interpretation. it is no more there.
i am wondering if there are interpretatins where different results for a unique measurement can coincide (like in Everett)
 
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PaleMoon said:
there was an article in the Stanford encyclopedia about QM that was rewritten.

Please post a link.
 
Sorry
i have no link. it was a remark in a conversation with somebody who did not remember!
 
i think that unitarity is central in QM and that collapse does not occur.

GR authorizes closed time loops (time reversal is not requested for going to the starting point of spacetime). Have theoricists analyzed the consequences in QM ?

this helps me to think that the diagonal density matrix that we get at the end of one measurement has the same status than a table of percentages of the atoms in the universe !

Consider a particle which is an eigenvector in a measurement it could evolve unitarily and come back in time as another eigenvector to the same measurement device and so on.
Of course as the eigenvectors are orthogonal we would have the same situations as in the Everett branches.

The percentages can also be obtained from loops in the Feynman integration paths if we take into account the returning paths.
 
PaleMoon said:
i have no link

Then we can't discuss whatever interpretation you were referring to, since we don't have a source we can use to tell us what that interpretation says.

PaleMoon said:
i think that unitarity is central in QM and that collapse does not occur.

This is one possible interpretation of QM, yes.

PaleMoon said:
GR authorizes closed time loops (time reversal is not requested for going to the starting point of spacetime). Have theoricists analyzed the consequences in QM ?

Yes. The main result is the Novikov self-consistency principle:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novikov_self-consistency_principle

PaleMoon said:
Consider a particle which is an eigenvector in a measurement it could evolve unitarily and come back in time as another eigenvector to the same measurement device

No, it couldn't, because that would violate the above principle.
 
PaleMoon said:
Hi pf,

there was an article in the Stanford encyclopedia about QM that was rewritten.
it quoted a "multiprocess" interpretation differing from Everett's one which could be related to Bohm's interpretation. it is no more there.
i am wondering if there are interpretatins where different results for a unique measurement can coincide (like in Everett)
It sounds like you're thinking of the "Many Interacting Worlds" (as opposed to "Many Worlds") interpretation:
https://arxiv.org/abs/1402.6144
https://arxiv.org/abs/1403.0014
 
Thank you for the link about Novikov
No, it couldn't, because that would violate the above principle.

I think that as the returning particle is in an orthogonal state to its previous state it cannot interact with it so no paradox can come from this
but it is true that it interacts diffierently with the measuring device. A paradox may appear here.
but as i said there is no collapse at any moment. I wonder if there is a paradox without collapse.

can we object to MWI that different results for the measurement is a paradox?
 
thank you jimmy
i am going to give these links to my friend
 
PaleMoon said:
can we object to MWI that different results for the measurement is a paradox?
No, because it is consistent with observations.
 
  • #10
i think that there is no paradox here
consider the simplest case of a young experiment with a screen and only one hole H
i consider possible loops passing by the source S the hole H and a point A on the screen (with no collapse there) and then the returning path to S (backward in time
i can write such a loop as
\langle S(o)|O(t) \rangle \langle O(t)|A(T) \rangle \langle A(T)|O(t) \rangle \langle O(t)|S(0) \rangle
here we consider loops notations and not complex numbers
"after" that we can consider another loop passing by anoter point B on the screen and so on.

we can use now the feynmann path calculus to give a weight to all these loops (the notations are now complex numbers. This enables us to get the density matrix
\Sigma_x p(x) [x \rangle \langle x|
we had no collapse at all but a density matrix;
at this level there is no spot on the screen and no paradox
It would be the same with 2 slits;
Different weights for the loops would give interferences or no interferences or partial interferences.

is not this mainstream?
 
Last edited:
  • #11
PaleMoon said:
is not this mainstream?

I can't tell because it doesn't make sense. Nor does it appear to be related to the topic of this thread.
 
  • #12
Since no reference can be provided, this thread is closed.
 

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