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arXiv:2006.06368 · Foundations of Physics

The Dead-Alive Physicist Experiment: A Case-Study Against the Hypothesis that Consciousness Causes the Wave-Function Collapse in the Quantum Mechanical Measurement Process

Carlo Roselli, Bruno Raffaele Stella

Published Feb 1, 2021• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF
DOI
10.1007/s10701-021-00427-y

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This paper presents an experimental proposal to test the Consciousness Causes Collapse (CCC) hypothesis in quantum mechanics. We propose a tabletop experiment employing a single-photon interferometer combined with quantum memory systems capable of preserving which-path information over long timescales. A key innovation in our design is a two-stage readout process: during a 400 ms delay the quantum memories are probed via a quantum non-demolition (QND) readout at moderate coupling strength, and afterward a full readout pulse extracts the stored state for recombination and interference measurement. By implementing a rigorous double-blind, randomized protocol with three conditions (automated recording only, conscious observation of the readout, and a scrambled-signal control in which the observer is present but views non-informative data), we isolate conscious registration of meaningful quantum information as the sole experimental variable. All standard interpretations of quantum mechanics predict identical outcomes across conditions; only the CCC hypothesis predicts a measurable difference. Detailed theoretical background, operational definitions, experimental components, and control measures are provided. This approach bridges philosophical conjecture and empirical test, potentially offering the first direct test of whether consciousness plays a unique role in wave function collapse.
This work discusses the foundations of quantum mechanics, and a novel paradox is presented.The quantum measurement problem is a topic still commonly discussed by physicists.The Von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation states that consciousness collapses the wave function, and the mind is the only measurement apparatus.Although this interpretation is widely dismissed now, it is considered valid by some physicists and is still a topic of debate.This idea that consciousness is needed for the wave function collapse can cause a paradox.The states of physical objects can depend on the quantum measurement result.These objects can then be observed without collapsing the wave function.These states can then be reverted by a setup similar to the Delayed Choice Experiment by John Wheeler (in which the unobserved past is changed), thus changing the observed past.The paradox is named "The Zombie Cat Paradox" and can be used as a counterargument to the Von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation.
In this paper we examine some proposals to disprove the hypothesis that the interaction between mind and matter causes the collapse of the wave function, showing that such proposals are fundamentally flawed. We then describe a general experimental setup retaining the key features of the ones examined, and show that even a more general case is inadequate to disprove the mind-matter collapse hypothesis. Finally, we use our setup provided to argue that, under some reasonable assumptions about consciousness, such hypothesis is unfalsifiable.