In this article a completely objective decoherence mechanism is hypothesized, operating at the level of the elementary particles of matter. The standard quantum mechanical description is complemented with a phenomenological evolution equation, involving a scalar curvature and an internal time, distinct from the observable time of the laboratory. This equation admits solutions internal to the wave function collapse, and the classical instantons connected to these solutions represent de Sitter micro-spaces identifiable with elementary particles. This result is linked in a natural way to other research programs tending to describe the internal structure of elementary particles by means of de Sitter spaces. Both the possible implications in particle physics and those deriving from the conversion of quantum information (qubits) into classical information (bits) are highlighted.
In this article a completely objective decoherence mechanism is hypothesized, operating at the level of the elementary particles of matter. The standard quantum mechanical description is complemented with a phenomenological evolution equation, involving a scalar curvature and an internal time, distinct from the observable time of the laboratory. This equation admits solutions internal to the wave function collapse, and the classical instantons connected to these solutions represent de Sitter micro-spaces identifiable with elementary particles. This result is linked in a natural way to other research programs tending to describe the internal structure of elementary particles by means of de Sitter spaces. Both the possible implications in particle physics and those deriving from the conversion of quantum information (qubits) into classical information (bits) are highlighted.
An interpretation and re-formulation of modern physics which removes the presumption of the space-time continuum, and bases physical theory on a small number of rational and empirical principles. After briefly describing the philosophical principles underlying the theory, we rigorously construct a discrete model of quantum mechanics. Kets are names, or labels which categorise states of matter but do not directly describe them. The principle of superposition is seen as a definitional truism in the categorisation of states. This resolves the measurement problem of quantum mechanics by attributing the collapse of the wave function to information. The probability interpretation has a natural meaning in which the configuration of interacting particles plays the role of a hidden variable. The model supports a form of relativistic quantum field theory which does not depend on quantisation or second quantisation from classical mechanics. Continuous laws of wave mechanics are found in a discrete metaphysic which does not involve waves. Classical law is the expected behaviour of many elementary particles. The constraints on the theory are sufficient to establish that particles are point-like entities with specific properties found in nature. Newton's first law and conservation of momentum are established from the principle of homogeneity. Maxwell's equations are derived from the simple interaction in which a Dirac particle emits or absorbs a photon. Feynman rules are calculated for the discrete theory and differ from the standard rules by the removal of the ultraviolet divergence and the use of proper loop integrals. They give finite and unambiguous results.
Some ideas are explored concerning the structure of elementary particles (specifically, leptons and hadrons), formulated within the context of a theory of the objective collapse of the wavefunction recently proposed by the authors. In accordance with this hypothesis, to each interaction that induces a discontinuity (quantum jump) in the evolution of the state of an elementary particle, two de Sitter half-spaces are associated, respectively, connected with the outgoing state and its conjugate. It is in these spaces that the structural constituents of the particle lie (quarks in the case of a hadron). The mass of free particles (leptons and hadrons) is given by the energy associated with their time localization in the jump, while the interaction between quarks belonging to a same hadron leads to a chromodynamic coupling constant that ensures both confinement and asymptotic freedom. It is possible to write a toy Hamiltonian in which the organization of quarks in hadrons appears ab initio, and which includes terms both for the exchange of quarks and for the creation/annihilation of pairs, thus avoiding the problem of bottom-up hadronization. In this scenario, the genesis of Regge trajectories is briefly discussed and it is argued that their slope can be quantized; finally, a reinterpretation is suggested of the classical Veneziano and Virasoro amplitudes.
This report reviews what quantum physics and information theory have to tell us about the age-old question, How come existence? No escape is evident from four conclusions: (1) The world cannot be a giant machine, ruled by any preestablished continuum physical law. (2) There is no such thing at the microscopic level as space or time or spacetime continuum. (3) The familiar probability function or functional, and wave equation or functional wave equation, of standard quantum theory provide mere continuum idealizations and by reason of this circumstance conceal the information-theoretic source from which they derive. (4) No element in the description of physics shows itself as closer to primordial than the elementary quantum phenomenon, that is, the elementary device-intermediated act of posing a yes-no physical question and eliciting an answer or, in brief, the elementary act of observer-participancy. Otherwise stated, every physical quantity, every it, derives its ultimate significance from bits, binary yes-or-no indications, a conclusion which we epitomize in the phrase, it from bit .
This comprehensive paper presents a unified synthesis of quantum mechanics, particle physics, and cosmological implications, establishing a coherent ontological framework for understanding the fundamental structure of matter and its relationship to mortality and consciousness. We establish that reality operates through a clear hierarchical structure: from fundamental particles (electrons, photons, quarks) to composite particles (protons, neutrons) to bound systems (atoms, molecules) to classical structures (matter, life, consciousness). Central to this work is the distinction between stable quantum objects (particularly electrons) and mortal composite structures (nuclei, atoms, molecules). We present an interpretive framework in which electrons are entities of extraordinary stability that perpetually embody wave-particle duality without requiring actualization into classical point particles. Measurement outcomes emerge from entanglement-induced decoherence involving third quantum objects rather than wave-function collapse, preserving unitary evolution throughout. This framework builds upon and extends established decoherence theory, particularly the work of Zurek, while offering a more explicit ontological commitment to persistent duality as an intrinsic electron property. Electron stability is qualified accurately: electrons are protected from decay under the conditions prevailing in our matter-dominated universe. In matter-antimatter environments, electron-positron annihilation does occur. The framework maintains consistency with the Born rule, empirical evidence, and existing quantum mechanical predictions while providing ontological clarity regarding the nature of reality
A theoretical description of quantum jumps at the level of elementary particles is proposed, based on a micro-cosmological interpretation of their de Broglie phase. The third quantization formalism proposed in current literature for the description of baby universes in quantum cosmology is used here to describe the breakdown of unitarity in the transition from the pre-jump to the post-jump wave function. The corpuscular aspect manifested by the particle in the micro-interaction that originates the jump is represented by a pair of evanescent "micro-universes", respectively pre- and post-jump, connected by a wormhole. The latter represents the actual implementation of the interaction that leads to the projection on the outgoing state; this interaction is always local, even when the selected outgoing state is entangled. Therefore, the decoherence which leads to the emergence of classicality is originated by the same fundamental interactions of the Standard Model involved in the unitary evolution of the wave function. The objective nature of the reduction process admits implications on the possibility of using the formalism in the cosmological context, which are briefly discussed.
Quantum decoherence is widely regarded as the principal dynamical mechanism through which classical behaviour emerges from quantum dynamics. This review presents a technical account of decoherence as an open-system phenomenon, emphasizing its mathematical framework, microscopic models, experimental evidence, and foundational implications. Starting from system-environment interactions and reduced density operators, we introduce completely positive trace-preserving maps and Lindblad master equations. We then discuss pure dephasing, pointer-state selection, quantum Brownian motion, spin-boson dynamics, and collisional decoherence. Experimental evidence from atom and molecular interferometry, superconducting qubits, and mesoscopic platforms is examined. Finally, the review assesses the role of decoherence in the quantum measurement problem. Decoherence explains preferred-basis selection and practical suppression of interference, but it does not independently account for the occurrence of a unique measurement outcome.