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CRC Press eBooks

The Nonexisting ‘Measurement Problem’

F. J. Duarte

Published Apr 10, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The indeterminacy and stochasticity of quantum mechanics have nurtured an illustrious gathering of critics including Einstein, Schrödinger, Bell, and Penrose. This has been good for quantum mechanics since it has become the most ruggedized and most battle hardened branch of physics. The one criticism that is often alluded to, now days, is ‘the measurement problem.’ First of all, from a pragmatic perspective it can be categorically stated that there is no measurement problem. Quantum mechanics exquisitely agrees with experimental measurements. Secondly, the so called ‘measurement problem’ is often related, by supporters of this concept, to the alleged ‘collapse of the wave function’ which is an unobserved phenomenon. In this chapter, several aspects of this experimentally nonexisting problem are discussed in order to inform the reader on the measurement reality of quantum mechanics.

DOI
10.1201/9781003649434-27

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The indeterminacy and stochasticity of quantum mechanics have nurtured an illustrious gathering of critics including Einstein, Schrödinger, Bell, and Penrose. This has been good for quantum mechanics since it has become the most ruggedized and most battle hardened branch of physics. The one criticism that is often alluded to, now days, is ‘the measurement problem.’ First of all, from a pragmatic perspective it can be categorically stated that there is no measurement problem. Quantum mechanics exquisitely agrees with experimental measurements. Secondly, the so called ‘measurement problem’ is often related, by supporters of this concept, to the alleged ‘collapse of the wave function’ which is an unobserved phenomenon. In this chapter, several aspects of this experimentally nonexisting problem are discussed in order to inform the reader on the measurement reality of quantum mechanics.
In most textbooks, measurement does not receive the full attention it deserves and sometimes is even not treated at all, apart a brief and cryptic mention of the “reduction of the wave packet.” However, in the last decades, the situation has profoundly changed and it is time to consider measurement a fundamental part of quantum mechanics, even, to a certain extent, an important generalization of the traditional theory (see also Chs. 14–15). This chapter consists of three major parts. In the first block (Secs. 9.1–9.4) we develop the main physical features of the measurement process: the heart of the argument is here represented by the aspects related to the interpretation. In the second part (Secs. 9.5–9.8) we discuss several special (and partly interdependent) topics of measurement: the heart here is represented by experimental aspects. In the third part (Secs. 9.9–9.12) we deal with the measurement process on a more formal plane, making use, in particular, of the generalization represented by the concepts of effect and positive operator valued measure (POVM). As we have said, the measurement problem is one of the most fundamental issues in the conceptual structure of quantum mechanics (as described in Sec. 9.1) and has a long history that will be examined in Sec. 9.2. In this context, the existence of apparently paradoxical quantum states comes about: the so-called Schrödinger cat states (see Sec. 9.3).
This is the first single volume about the collapse theories of quantum mechanics, which is becoming a very active field of research in both physics and philosophy. In standard quantum mechanics, it is postulated that when the wave function of a quantum system is measured, it no longer follows the Schrödinger equation, but instantaneously and randomly collapses to one of the wave functions that correspond to definite measurement results. However, why and how a definite measurement result appears is unknown. A promising solution to this problem are collapse theories in which the collapse of the wave function is spontaneous and dynamical. Chapters written by distinguished physicists and philosophers of physics discuss the origin and implications of wave-function collapse, the controversies around collapse models and their ontologies, and new arguments for the reality of wave function collapse. This is an invaluable resource for students and researchers interested in the philosophy of physics and foundations of quantum mechanics.
The Einstein Podolsky and Rosen argument labeling quantum mechanics as an ‘incomplete theory’ is revisited, and it is shown that one of its premises is incompatible with the physics of measurement uncertainties. Bell’s criticism toward quantum mechanics is discussed in detail and contrasted with the opinion of well-known practitioners of quantum mechanics such as Born, Dirac, Feynman, Lamb, and Ward. A discussion on hidden variable theories is given, and it is indicated that these theories have features that make them non-quantum mechanical. The argument is made that the so-called ‘quantum measurement problem’ is not a practical problem but a conceptual problem of those who believe in the ‘collapse of the wave function.’ In turn, it is explained that the ‘collapse of the wave function’ is completely unnecessary from a quantum interference and quantum entanglement perspective. The chapter continues to explain the physical bases of quantum entanglements and concludes advocating for a pragmatic approach to quantum mechanics devoid of philosophical prejudices. Instead, a philosophical approach based on the very indeterminism of quantum mechanics is proposed.
Decoherence is widely felt to have something to do with the quantum measurement problem, but getting clear on just what is made difficult by the fact that the 'measurement problem', as traditionally presented in foundational and philosophical discussions, has become somewhat disconnected from the conceptual problems posed by real physics. This, in turn, is because quantum mechanics as discussed in textbooks and in foundational discussions has become somewhat removed from scientific practice, especially where the analysis of measurement is concerned. This paper has two goals: firstly (§§1-2), to present an account of how quantum measurements are actually dealt with in modern physics (hint: it does not involve a collapse of the wave function) and to state the measurement problem from the perspective of that account; and secondly (§§3-4), to clarify what role decoherence plays in modern measurement theory and what effect it has on the various strategies that have been proposed to solve the measurement problem.