- #1
kamikaze762
- 24
- 0
Okay, let me begin by saying that I do NOT have a good foundation in quantum mechanics, but I have been completely captivated by the wavefunction collapse.
I have looked over many explanations of the double-slit experiment over the course of a few months, and I cannot find that one single detail that I am looking for.
I see that the eraser experiment seems to indicate that collapse has nothing to do with the detector itself, but the act of observing... and I am seriously thinking that this is so bizarre that it has no place in our objective physical universe.
Now, I understand that no one really knows what is happening here, but how solid is the idea that the detector itself is not causing this? If the detector were hooked up to a bell which rang when it absorbed a particle, what happens if we disconnect the bell?
If the data registers on a screen only in real time, will the wavefunction present itself if we kill power to the monitor?
I suppose my question is very general about the relationship between the particle and the data. I mean, are we talking about interaction which changes this particle/wave, or is just simply KNOWING "which path" enough to alter the state of the particle/wave?
If this is the implication, why have ridiculous experiments such as destroying the data not been performed? Am I oversimplifying?
I have looked over many explanations of the double-slit experiment over the course of a few months, and I cannot find that one single detail that I am looking for.
I see that the eraser experiment seems to indicate that collapse has nothing to do with the detector itself, but the act of observing... and I am seriously thinking that this is so bizarre that it has no place in our objective physical universe.
Now, I understand that no one really knows what is happening here, but how solid is the idea that the detector itself is not causing this? If the detector were hooked up to a bell which rang when it absorbed a particle, what happens if we disconnect the bell?
If the data registers on a screen only in real time, will the wavefunction present itself if we kill power to the monitor?
I suppose my question is very general about the relationship between the particle and the data. I mean, are we talking about interaction which changes this particle/wave, or is just simply KNOWING "which path" enough to alter the state of the particle/wave?
If this is the implication, why have ridiculous experiments such as destroying the data not been performed? Am I oversimplifying?