Philosophies

The Hidden Clash: Spacetime Outlook and Quantum-State Reductions

Rafael Andrés Alemañ Berenguer

Published May 30, 2024• 0 citations

Abstract

It is generally assumed that compatibility with special relativity is guaranteed by the invariance of the fundamental equations of quantum physics under Lorentz transformations and the impossibility of transferring energy or information faster than the speed of light. Despite this, various contradictions persist, which make us suspect the solidity of that compatibility. This paper focuses on collapse theories—although they are not the only way of interpreting quantum theory—in order to examine what seems to be insurmountable difficulties we encounter when trying to construct a space–time picture of such typically quantum processes as state vector reduction or the non-separability of entangled systems. The inescapable nature of such difficulties suggests the need to go further in the search for new formulations that surpass our current conceptions of matter and space–time.

DOI: 10.3390/philosophies9030079

Related papers

Simplifying the equations of relativistic quantum mechanics

Luis Grave de Peralta

I n the early 20th century, the groundbreaking theories of quantum mechanics and special relativity emerged at roughly the same time.At first, both theories appeared to be entirely incompatible with each other.While the quantum equations written out by Erwin Schrödinger and Wolfgang Pauli dealt with the behaviours of electrons, atoms, and molecules moving at speeds encountered in classical physics, the rules of special relativity first imagined by Albert Einstein described the behaviour of matter moving at close to the speed of light.Initially, this apparent clash of theories presented a crisis in physics.However, in the late 1920s, further theoretical work carried out by physicists including Paul Dirac, Oskar Klein, and Walter Gordon culminated in a new set of equations, which proved definitively that quantum mechanics and special relativity are compatible with each other after all. An educational challengeYet with this groundbreaking discovery came an entirely new problem.In adding a new layer of complexity to the equations of non-relativistic quantum mechanics, the more complete theories of relativistic

Research FeaturesJan 1, 20230 citations

Lorentz Transformation in Quantum Mechanics

Marcello Baldo

The compatibility of special relativity and Quantum Mechanics has been questioned by several authors. The origin of this tension can be traced back mainly to the introduction of the measurement processes and the corresponding wave function reduction, which play a crucial role in Quantum Mechanics. We approach this problem with the help of a recent proposal for a model of Quantum Mechanics, where the measurement is explicitly described as a specific stochastic process. This implements ordinary Quantum Mechanics, where measurement and reduction are treated as phenomenological events of unknown origin without any physical justification. To state clearly the question in general, we first discuss and establish the effect of a Lorentz transformation on a generic wave function in space-time. Alongside the analysis we formulate the relativistic version of the model. We then consider few thought experiments in order to analyze to what extent Quantum Mechanics follows relativistic invariance and find the specific critical points where non invariance possibly occurs. The analysis can shade light to the interpretation of the existing experimental observations.

quant-pharXiv:2511.11342Nov 17, 20250 citations

Quantum Mechanics versus Special Relativity: A forgotten conflict

Rafael Andrés Alemañ Berenguer

Despite the widespread assumptions on the compatibility between non-relativistic quantum mechanics and special relativity, there still remains a considerable amount of unresolved problems to which few authors explicitly pay attention. Most of them involve the aim of coherently achieving a relativistic description of quantum collapses and quantum entanglements. These processes seem to challenge our present picture of the physical world in terms of space-time structures.

Nov 1, 20081 citation

Collapse Spacetime Model: Foundations and Postulates

Chretien Versteegh

General relativity and quantum mechanics rely on fundamentally incompatible conceptions of spacetime: the former treats spacetime as a smooth, dynamical entity, while the latter presupposes a fixed background on which quantum states evolve. This work introduces the Collapse Spacetime Model (CSM), a foundational framework in which spacetime itself is not fundamental but emerges from discrete ontological transition events (OTEs)—objective, irreversible acts of actualization that generate localized spacetime structure. Within CSM, quantum state reduction is reinterpreted as one particular manifestation of a more general ontological transition, rather than as an anomaly within unitary dynamics. A central refinement, the Multiplicity of Spacetime Hypothesis (MSH), proposes that physical systems construct their own partial spacetimes, with the classical spacetime continuum arising from stable intersections among these locally generated structures. Constants such as the speed of light are interpreted as invariant structural ratios of spacetime co-generation, rather than as fundamental properties of matter or signals. The model aligns conceptually with causal set theory, emergent network geometry, and collapse-based approaches, while offering a unified ontological account of spacetime emergence, time’s passage, and the relational origin of geometry. CSM reframes physical reality as a becoming universe, providing a coherent foundation for quantum gravity, cosmology, and the philosophy of time, while deliberately postponing detailed dynamical and mathematical formalization to future work.

Jul 5, 20250 citations

Wave Function Collapse, Lorentz Invariance, and the Third Postulate of Relativity

Edward J. Gillis

The changes that quantum states undergo during measurement are both probabilistic and nonlocal. These two characteristics complement one another to insure compatibility with relativity and maintain conservation laws. The probabilistic nature of nonlocal effects prevents the superluminal transmission of information, while nonlocal entanglement relations provide a means to enforce conservation laws in a probabilistic theory. In order to explain measurement-induced changes in terms of fundamental physical processes it is important to take these two key characteristics into account. One way to do this is to modify the Schroedinger equation by adding stochastic, nonlinear terms. A number of such proposals have been made over the past few decades. A recently proposed equation based on the assumption that wave function collapse is induced by a sequence of correlating interactions of the kind that constitute measurements has been shown to maintain strict adherence to conservation laws in individual instances, and has also eliminated the need to introduce any new, ad hoc physical constants. In this work it is shone that the proposed stochastic modification to the Schroedinger equation is also Lorentz invariant, even though it is formulated in a preferred reference frame. It is further argued that the additional spacetime structure that the proposed modification requires provides a way to implement the assumption that spacelike-separated operators (and measurements) commute, and that this assumption of local commutativity should be regarded as a third postulate of relativity.

arXiv:2405.05335May 8, 20240 citations

Can quantum theory and special relativity peacefully coexist?

M. P. Seevinck

This white paper aims to identify an open problem in 'Quantum Physics and the Nature of Reality' --namely whether quantum theory and special relativity are formally compatible--, to indicate what the underlying issues are, and put forward ideas about how the problem might be addressed.

arXiv:1010.3714Oct 18, 201013 citations