Quantum Erasure as a Consequence of Non-Orientable Time

Cynthia Moore

C. A. Chatzidimitriou‐Dreismann, Evan MacA. Gray, Tomasz P. Blach

Nuclei and electrons in condensed matter and/or molecules are usually entangled, due to the prevailing (mainly electromagnetic) interactions. However, the "environment" of a microscopic scattering system (e.g. a proton) causes ultrafast decoherence, thus making atomic and/or nuclear entanglement effects not directly accessible to experiments. However, our neutron Compton scattering experiments from protons (H-atoms) in condensed systems and molecules have a characteristic collisional time about 100–1000 attoseconds. The quantum dynamics of an atom in this ultrashort, but finite, time window is governed by non-unitary time evolution due to the aforementioned decoherence. Unexpectedly, recent theoretical investigations have shown that decoherence can also have the following energetic consequences. Disentangling two subsystems A and B of a quantum system AB is tantamount to erasure of quantum phase relations between A and B. This erasure is widely believed to be an innocuous process, which e.g. does not affect the energies of A and B. However, two independent groups proved recently that disentangling two systems, within a sufficiently short time interval, causes increase of their energies. This is also derivable by the simplest Lindblad-type master equation of one particle being subject to pure decoherence.

P. H. Souto Ribeiro, Sebastião Pádua, Carlos Henrique Monken

Mark J Hadley

There is a deep structural link between acausal spacetimes and quantum theory. As a consequence quantum theory may resolve some "paradoxes" of time travel. Conversely, non-time-orientable spacetimes naturally give rise to electric charges and spin half. If an explanation of quantum theory is possible, then general relativity with time travel could be it.

Fosco Ruzzene

The possibility that quantum mechanics is founded on non-metric space has been previously introduced as an alternative consequence of Bell inequalities violation. This work develops the concept further by an analysis of the iconic Heisenberg gedanken experiment. No lower bound is found in the gedanken uncertainly relation for a non-metric spatial background. This result has the fundamental consequence that the quantum particle trajectory is retained in non-metric space and time. Assignment of measurement number-values to unmeasured incompatible variables is found to be mathematically incorrect. The current disagreement between different formulations of the empirically verified error-disturbance relations can be explained as a consequence of the structure of space. Quantum contextuality can likewise be explained geometrically. An alternative analysis of the extendedEPRperfect anti-correlation configuration is given. The consensus that local causality is the sole assumption is found to be incorrect. There is also the additional assumption of orientation independence. Inequalities violation does not therefore mandate rejection of local causality. Violation of the assumption of orientation independence implies rejection of metric, non-contextual variables algebraically representing physical quantities.

P. M. Harrington, Andrew N. Jordan, Kater W. Murch