
"MULTIVERSE" INTERPRETATION OF QUANTUM MECHANICS
THE QUANTUM MULTIVERSE (in Russian) (22.08.2021)
This article is the first part of the synopsis of the book "Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality." Max Tegmark, 2014
The material of the article is devoted to the analysis and development of the ideas of a "Multiverse" interpretation of quantum mechanics, laid down by physicist Hugh Everett.
PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL REALITIES (in Russian) (29.08.2021)
This article is the second part of the synopsis of the book "Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality." Max Tegmark, 2014
The material of the article is devoted to the analysis and development of the ideas of a "Multiverse" interpretation of quantum mechanics, laid down by physicist Hugh Everett.
Related feature articles:
BORN IN AN INFINITE UNIVERSE: A COSMOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF QUANTUM MECHANICS (05.08.2010)
This analysis unifies the classical and quantum levels of parallel universes that have been discussed in the literature, and has implications for several issues in quantum measurement theory. Replacing the standard hypothetical ensemble of measurements repeated ad infinitum by a concrete decohered spatial collection of experiments carried out in different distant regions of space provides a natural context for a statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics. It also shows how, even for a single measurement, probabilities may be interpreted as relative frequencies in unitary (Everettian) quantum mechanics. We also argue that after discarding a zero-norm part of the wavefunction, the remainder consists of a superposition of indistinguishable terms, so that arguably "collapse" of the wavefunction is irrelevant, and the "many worlds" of Everett’s interpretation are unified into one. Finally, the analysis suggests a "cosmological interpretation" of quantum theory in which the wave function describes the actual spatial collection of identical quantum systems, and quantum indeterminacy is attributable to the observer’s inability to self-locate in this collection.
APPARENT WAVE FUNCTION COLLAPSE CAUSED BY SCATTERING (Max Tegmark, 01.03.1996)
The quantum decoherence effect considered in the article eliminates a serious flaw in theories without collapse (multiverse theory). This makes possible a self-consistent interpretation of quantum mechanics, which could be called the interpretation of a set of decoherent worlds.
MANY – WORLDS INTERPRETATION OF QUANTUM MECHANICS (05.08.2021)
The Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics holds that in parallel with "our own" world (in which we are observers), there are an infinite number of other worlds that do not intersect with it, but are "derived" from it. The fundamental idea of MWI, dating back to Everett in 1957. This publication examines in detail various aspects of this concept.
EVERETT’S RELATIVE – STATE FORMULATION OF QUANTUM MECHANICS (23.10.2018)
Hugh Everett's formulation of the relative state of quantum mechanics was a direct reaction to the measurement problem that arises in the standard formulation of the von Neumann-Dirac collapse theory. Everett's solution to the problem was to discard the postulate of the reality of the collapse of the wave function from the standard formulation of quantum mechanics, that is, the separation of interactions into classical and quantum. This means that there are an infinite number of parallel versions of physical reality, since the wave function describes a single quantum world – an infinite set of possible states. This publication examines in detail various aspects of this concept.
A SNAPSHOT OF FOUNDATIONAL ATTITUDES TOWARD QUANTUM MECHANICS (06.01.2013)
Foundational investigations in quantum mechanics, both experimental and theoretical, gave birth to the field of quantum information science. Nevertheless, the foundations of quantum mechanics themselves remain hotly debated in the scientific community, and no consensus on essential questions has been reached. Here, we present the results of a poll carried out among 33 participants of a conference on the foundations of quantum mechanics. The participants completed a questionnaire containing 16 multiple-choice questions probing opinions on quantum-foundational issues. Participants included physicists, philosophers, and mathematicians. We describe our findings, identify commonly held views, and determine strong, medium, and weak correlations between the answers. Our study provides a unique snapshot of current views in the field of quantum foundations, as well as an analysis of the relationships between these views.
It is shown that the difference between the Schrodinger and Heisenberg indeterminacy ratios is of a fundamental nature. A modified version of stochastic mechanics is proposed, which makes it possible to demonstrate the equality of the contributions of the anticommutator and the commutator in the Schrodinger indeterminacy ratio. The classification of quantum states minimizing the Schrodinger indeterminacy ratio at an arbitrary time is carried out. It is established that the correlation of fluctuations of the coordinate and momentum in such correlated-coherent states is largely determined by the contributions of not only the commutator, but also the anticommutator of the corresponding operators. It is shown that over time, the nature of this correlation qualitatively changes from antiphase, typical for the Heisenberg indeterminacy ratio, to in-phase, in which the contribution of the anticommutator turns out to be decisive. A comparative analysis of the properties of a free microparticle and a quantum oscillator in correlated-coherent states is carried out and it is shown that in both models correlated-coherent states correspond to traveling-standing de Broglie waves.