"Test of wave function collapse suggests gravity is not the answer"

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the implications of recent tests regarding wave function collapse and its potential relationship with gravity, exploring various interpretations of quantum mechanics (QM) and their consequences. Participants reference articles and models, debating the validity and assumptions of different approaches to understanding wave function collapse.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express interest in the implications of the wave function collapse tests, noting that if standard QM is correct, it could lead to revolutionary discoveries.
  • Bill mentions interpretations of QM, such as Decoherent Histories, which do not incorporate the concept of collapse or measurement as fundamental, suggesting that these interpretations complicate discussions based on standard postulates.
  • Penrose's model is discussed, with some participants noting that he has reservations about testing his version of the model due to potential violations of energy conservation principles.
  • Maaneli Derakhshani raises concerns about the complexity of the collapse process if gravity is indeed a factor, suggesting that interactions may obscure signals related to collapse.
  • There is mention of the Diósi–Penrose model being ruled out by recent tests, but it is noted that this model includes several assumptions and does not exclude other collapse models.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach consensus on the implications of the tests or the validity of the models discussed. Multiple competing views remain regarding the role of gravity in wave function collapse and the interpretations of quantum mechanics.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the reliance on specific assumptions within the discussed models, the potential for undisclosed interactions affecting results, and the unresolved nature of the mathematical frameworks involved.

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I do not want to discourage experimenters trying interesting ideas. If standard QM is correct, as we have interpretations without collapse, such a discovery would be revolutionary. I am not referring to the standard postulates of QM we have all agreed on, I am referring to interpretations like Decoherent Histories that do not have the concept - or even the concept of measurement - it is emergent in that interpretation. QM is indeed a strange thing. Standard postulates you find in many textbooks, and to make discourse of this forum easy we have adopted, sometimes do not have counterparts in some interpretations.

Thanks
Bill
 
StevieTNZ said:
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-function-collapse-gravity.html

An interesting article I saw yesterday. However, both Nature articles (the summary [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-1026-2] and the actual technical paper [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-1008-4]) are behind a paywall.
.https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...radoxes-may-have-lost-its-leading-explanation

"Although Penrose praises the new work, he thinks it’s not really possible to test his version of the model. He says he was never comfortable with particle swerves, because they might cause the universe to gain or lose energy, violating a basic principle of physics. He has spent the pandemic lockdown creating a new and improved model. “It doesn’t produce a heating or radiation," he says. In that case, gravity might be causing collapse, yet hiding its tracks."

"Other factors such as interactions between germanium protons and electrons might also cloak the signal, says theoretical physicist Maaneli Derakhshani of Rutgers University, New Brunswick. All in all, he says, if gravity does cause collapse, the process has to be more complicated than Penrose originally proposed. “One could reasonably argue that … the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”

.
 
StevieTNZ said:
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-function-collapse-gravity.html

An interesting article I saw yesterday. However, both Nature articles (the summary [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-1026-2] and the actual technical paper [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-1008-4]) are behind a paywall.

A massive test.​

Nature Physics volume 17, pages14–15(2021)

10.1038/s41567-020-1026-2

"The gravitational collision model (Diósi–Penrose model) ruled out by Donadi and co-workers includes several assumptions such as a Poissonian model for the noise and does not exclude other well-known collapse models(4,5,9)"

4. Bassi, A., Lochan, K., Satin, S., Singh, T. P. & Ulbricht, H.
Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 471–526 (2013).
5. Arndt, M. & Hornberger, K. Nat. Phys. 10, 271–277 (2014).
9. Ghirardi, G. C., Rimini, A. & Weber, T. Phys. Rev. D 34,
470–491 (1986). Nature.

.
 

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