Zenith Grant Awardee
Dr. Jorge A. Pullin
Louisiana State University
Co-Investigators
Rodolfo Gambini, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
Project Title
Relational Physics with Real Rods and Clocks and the Measurement Problem of Quantum Mechanics
Project Summary
As paradoxical as this may sound, the theory of quantum mechanics that describes the microscopic world is ordinarily formulated in terms of classical, macroscopic quantities. In particular, one assumes that one has access to arbitrarily accurate clocks and rulers. Such an assumption is clearly an idealization. This idealization becomes even more untenable in the context of theories of nature that include gravity. We show that relaxing such an idealization can help solve some of the conceptual problems of traditional quantum mechanics. These include the problem of how a classical world arises from the quantum theory and the problem of how to interpret the quantum theory and therefore to form a proper physical picture of reality.
Technical Abstract
When quantum mechanics is formulated in terms of relational notions, as is required by any theory of nature that includes gravity, it takes a different form than the usual one. In particular, there is a natural loss of coherence in quantum states when time and space are measured by realistic clocks and rods, which have quantum and other types of uncertainties in their measurements. We propose to investigate the impact of this loss of coherence on the fundamental problems of measurement in quantum theory. The aim is to show that the use of real clocks and measuring rods in quantum theory, combined with interactions with the environment, effectively eliminates most of the well known issues with the problem of measurement in quantum mechanics. It also opens a new perspective to be explored on interpretational issues of the quantum theory, since in view of the fundamental loss of coherence some interpretations of quantum mechanics immediately lose their compelling nature, whereas others arise as more natural.
QSpace Latest
PressRelease: Shining a light on the roots of plant “intelligence”
All living organisms emit a low level of light radiation, but the origin and function of these ‘biophotons’ are not yet fully understood. An international team of physicists, funded by the Foundational Questions Institute, FQxI, has proposed a new approach for investigating this phenomenon based on statistical analyses of this emission. Their aim is to test whether biophotons can play a role in the transport of information within and between living organisms, and whether monitoring biophotons could contribute to the development of medical techniques for the early diagnosis of various diseases. Their analyses of the measurements of the faint glow emitted by lentil seeds support models for the emergence of a kind of plant ‘intelligence,’ in which the biophotonic emission carries information and may thus be used by plants as a means to communicate. The team reported this and reviewed the history of biophotons in an article in the journal Applied Sciences in June 2024.