RE: Trying to Understand Many-Worlds Interpretation Better
November 29, 2014 at 1:56 am
(This post was last modified: November 29, 2014 at 2:04 am by Alex K.)
Surgenator,
It's not really an additional multiplying of particles. The MWI amounts to basically just taking what the Schrödinger equation gives you and running with it. The quantum superpositions of the observer which automatically occur when it is included in the qm state along with the measured system,already give you the many worlds from your perspective. Copenhagen tells you to artificially deviate from Schroedinger after a measurement and project this down to one of the observer states in the superposition. So in a sense its less parsimonious than MWI.
There a two issues with that, how to assign probabilities to the superpositions, and whether some states should be special, but those are technical details.
In this picture, the usual observed quantum interference, eg in the double slit, precisely *is* interference between universes. Interference between very dissimilar universes is ultra suppressed afaik because the wave functions have little overlap.
It's not really an additional multiplying of particles. The MWI amounts to basically just taking what the Schrödinger equation gives you and running with it. The quantum superpositions of the observer which automatically occur when it is included in the qm state along with the measured system,already give you the many worlds from your perspective. Copenhagen tells you to artificially deviate from Schroedinger after a measurement and project this down to one of the observer states in the superposition. So in a sense its less parsimonious than MWI.
There a two issues with that, how to assign probabilities to the superpositions, and whether some states should be special, but those are technical details.
In this picture, the usual observed quantum interference, eg in the double slit, precisely *is* interference between universes. Interference between very dissimilar universes is ultra suppressed afaik because the wave functions have little overlap.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
