The oRules of state reduction are applied to the case of the Schrodinger cat experiment. It is shown that these rules can unambiguously describe the conscious state of the cat, as well as an outside observer at any time during the experiment. Two versions of the experiment are considered. In version I, the conscious cat is made unconscious by a mechanism that is triggered by a radioactive decay. In version II, the sleeping cat is made conscious by an alarm clock that is triggered by a radioactive decay.
The oRules of state reduction are applied to the case of the Schrodinger cat experiment. It is shown that these rules can unambiguously describe the conscious state of the cat, as well as an outside observer at any time during the experiment. Two versions of the experiment are considered. In version I, the conscious cat is made unconscious by a mechanism that is triggered by a radioactive decay. In version II, the sleeping cat is made conscious by an alarm clock that is triggered by a radioactive decay.
The oRules of state reduction are applied to the case of the Schrodinger cat experiment. It is shown that these rules can unambiguously describe the conscious state of the cat, as well as an outside observer at any time during the experiment. Two versions of the experiment are considered. In version I, the conscious cat is made unconscious by a mechanism that is triggered by a radioactive decay. In version II, the sleeping cat is made conscious by an alarm clock that is triggered by a radioactive decay.
The nRules that are developed in another paper are applied to two versions of the Schrodinger cat experiment. In version I the initially conscious cat is made unconscious by a mechanism that is initiated by a radioactive decay. In version II the initially unconscious cat is awakened by a mechanism that is initiated by a radioactive decay. In both cases an observer is permitted to check the statues of the cat at any time during the experiment. In all cases the nRules correctly and unambiguously predict the conscious experience of the cat and the observer. Keywords: brain states of observer, stochastic choice, state reduction, wave collapse.
In a previous paper we examined the role of a conscious observer in a typical quantum mechanical measurement. Four rules were given that were found to govern the stochastic choice and state reduction in several cases of continuous and intermittent observation. It was shown that consciousness always accompanies a state reduction leading to observation, but its presence is not sufficient to 'cause' a reduction. The distinction is clarified and codified by the rules that are repeated below. In this paper, these rules are successfully applied to two different versions of the Schrodinger cat experiment. Key Words: Brain states, boundary conditions, cat paradox, consciousness, conscious observer, environment, decoherence, macroscopic superposition, measurement, state reduction, state collapse, von Neumann.
Abstract In this paper we re-investigate the core of Schrödinger’s “cat paradox”. We argue that one has to distinguish clearly between superpositions of macroscopic cat states |☺〉 + |☹〉 and superpositions of entangled states |☺, ↑〉 + |☹, ↓〉 which comprise both the state of the cat (☺=alive, ☹=dead) and the radioactive substance (↑=not decayed, ↓=decayed). It is shown, that in the case of the cat experiment recourse to decoherence or other mechanisms is not necessary in order to explain the absence of macroscopic superpositions. Additionally, we present modified versions of two quantum optical experiments as experimenta crucis. Applied rigorously, quantum mechanical formalism reduces the problem to a mere pseudo-paradox.
Standard quantum mechanics makes use of four auxiliary rules that allow the Schrodinger solutions to be related to laboratory experience, such as the Born rule that connects square modulus to probability. These rules (here called the sRules) lead to some unacceptable results. They do not allow the primary observer to be part of the system. They do not allow individual observations (as opposed to ensembles) to be part of the system. They make a fundamental distinction between microscopic and macroscopic things, and they are ambiguous in their description of secondary observers such as Schrodingers cat. The nRules are an alternative set of auxiliary rules that avoid the above difficulties. In this paper we look at a wide range of representative experiments showing that the nRules adequately relate the Schrodinger solutions to empirical experience. This suggests that the sRules should be abandoned in favor of the more satisfactory nRules, or a third auxiliary rule-set called the oRules. Keywords: brain states, consciousness, decoherence, epistemology, measurement, ontology, stochastic, state reduction, wave collapse.
Standard quantum mechanics makes use of four auxiliary rules that allow the Schrodinger solutions to be related to laboratory experience, such as the Born rule that connects square modulus to probability. These rules (here called the sRules) lead to some unacceptable results. They do not allow the primary observer to be part of the system. They do not allow individual observations (as opposed to ensembles) to be part of the system. They make a fundamental distinction between microscopic and macroscopic things, and they are ambiguous in their description of secondary observers such as Schrodingers cat. The nRules are an alternative set of auxiliary rules that avoid the above difficulties. In this paper we look at a wide range of representative experiments showing that the nRules adequately relate the Schrodinger solutions to empirical experience. This suggests that the sRules should be abandoned in favor of the more satisfactory nRules, or a third auxiliary rule-set called the oRules. Keywords: brain states, consciousness, decoherence, epistemology, measurement, ontology, stochastic, state reduction, wave collapse.