IQOQI Vienna, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Veronika Baumann
IQOQI Vienna, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Project Title
Conscious Encapsulated Observers
Project Summary
Wigner’s-friend experiments are thought experiments that challenge the logical consistency of quantum theory and highlight the quantum measurement problem. These experiments extend the quantum superposition principle to observers and ask what would happen, if such an observer in superposition - called Wigner’s friend – is measured by a so-called superobserver –Wigner. The friend and Wigner would disagree on how to describe the friend’s measurement based on standard quantum theory, which in certain circumstances can be turned into an actual contradiction. This, however, involves many subtleties and issues involving modelling the friend’s mental states and cognition, as well as the communication between her and Wigner. In this project we want to address these issues and investigate the subtleties. On the one hand, we will model the communication between Wigner and his friend such that they can exchange classical messages. On the other hand, we will consider the operations on the friend’s mental state and investigate how they can influence her cognitive functions. By combining these two approaches we will gain insight into whether and to what extent Wigner’s-friend experiments put limits on the compatibility between the superposition of the friend’s mental states and her free will or modes of consciousness.
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