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arXiv:quant-ph/9509021

Schrödinger's Cat -- Amended

Bernd A. Berg

Published Oct 1, 1995• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Arguments have been raised that the system--observer cut of quantum mechanics can be shifted arbitrarily close to, or even into, the conscious observer. Here I show that this view leads to {\it observable} contradictions (despite our inability to control the phases of macroscopic states). For this purpose I modify and extend Schrödinger's well--known superposition of a cat in its dead and alive state. Implications for other interpretations of quantum mechanics are also discussed. My conclusion is that quantum mechanics is incomplete. The question ``When does the state vector collapse?'' seems to be unavoidable, has observable consequences, and is not answered by quantum mechanics.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/9509021

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Arguments have been raised that the system--observer cut of quantum mechanics can be shifted arbitrarily close to, or even into, the conscious observer. Here I show that this view leads to {\it observable} contradictions (despite our inability to control the phases of macroscopic states). For this purpose I modify and extend Schrödinger's well--known superposition of a cat in its dead and alive state. Implications for other interpretations of quantum mechanics are also discussed. My conclusion is that quantum mechanics is incomplete. The question ``When does the state vector collapse?'' seems to be unavoidable, has observable consequences, and is not answered by quantum mechanics.
Abstract Chapter 15 deals with various unresolved issues, such as how measurements are to be described, whether they induce collapse of linear superpositions, and if so, what the result should be. Another is whether quantum mechanics applies to macroscopic measuring devices, and if not, why not. Some of these issues are addressed via the Schrödinger cat-in-the-box experiment, in particular whether the cat is ever half alive and half dead; analogs of the corresponding Schrödinger-cat state (not involving a cat) have been studied experimentally. For Schrödinger, it was ridiculous to apply quantum mechanics to macroscopic situations, nevertheless, it has been explored by many physicists. Whether measurements induce collapse and whether collapse arises in various formulations/interpretations of quantum mechanics is examined in the context of generic measuring instruments known as pointer devices. Various conclusions have been reached, though consensus has not, despite only one interpretation having been verified experimentally.
. It is pointed out that the conclusions drawn from a recent quantum interference experiment with light suggest an operational resolution of the Schrödinger cat paradox. On this occasion in honor of Prof. E.T. Jaynes, we recall that he devoted some of his research efforts to the interpretation of quantum mechanics, which led him to propose several experimental tests. Although the ‘neoclassical’ theory he developed was found not to be confirmed by experiment, it nevertheless played a role in encouraging us to think critically about quantum mechanics and to carry out new experiments. This short contribution is concerned with a well-known quantum problem of interpretation. The quantum paradox known as Schrödinger's cat, in which the cat is cast in a linear superposition of the state of being alive and the state of being dead, has been debated since the beginnings of quantum mechanics. Whereas most physicists are ready to concede the existence of superposition states for a microscopic quantum system like an atom, such states appear to be ruled out for a macroscopic system like a cat by common experience. The question then arises at which level classical concepts take over from quantum mechanical ones. In a very clear and readable discussion of this and other paradoxes Glauber has pointed out that the noise inevitably associated with the amplification process accompanying the measurement of a microscopic system leaves the cat in a mixed state rather than a pure one.
In his famous thought experiment, Schrodinger(1935) imagined a cat that measures the value of a quantum mechanical observable with its life. Since Schrodinger’s time,no any interpretations or modifications of quantum mechanics have been proposed which gives clear unambiguous answers to the questions posed by Schrodinger’s cat of how long superpositions last and when (or whether) they collapse?In this book appropriate modification of quantum mechanics is proposed.We claim that canonical interpretation of the wave function ψ=с1ψ1+с2ψ2 is correct only when the wave function supports ψ1 and ψ2 essentially overlap. When these ones have separated supports we claim that canonical interpretation of the wave function ψ is no longer valid for a such cat state.Possible solution of the Schrodinger’s cat paradox is considered. We pointed out that the collapsed state of the cat always shows definite and predictable outcomes even if the cat also consists of a superposition:|cat>=с1|alive cat>+с2|death cat>.Using new quantum mechanical formalism the EPRB-paradox is considered.We find that the EPRB-paradox can be resolved by nonprincipal and convenient relaxing of the Einstein’s locality principle.
Schrodinger's cat is traditionally presented as a paradox highlighting the tension between quantum superposition and classical observation. Standard interpretations invoke either a fundamental wavefunction collapse, ontological branching of universes, or subjective Bayesian updating. In this paper, we propose a reinterpretation grounded in the Informational Observer Framework, according to which the paradox does not originate from an ontological superposition of macroscopic states, but from an unresolved informational configuration at the observer level. The cat itself is never simultaneously alive and dead; rather, the observer remains in a state of informational compression prior to interaction. Within this framework, wavefunction collapse is reinterpreted as an observer-level informational phase transition, not as a fundamental physical discontinuity. This approach preserves macroscopic realism, avoids ontological inflation, and reframes the measurement problem as an emergent informational phenomenon.
Schrödinger's cat paradox has persisted for nearly a century as a demonstration of the apparent absurdity of quantum superposition when extended to macroscopic scales. This technical note demonstrates that the paradox dissolves entirely within the CAT'S Theory framework through the triadic invariant Reality = Pattern × Intent × Presence (P × I × Pr). We argue that the cat is neither "both alive and dead" nor the victim of mysterious collapse. Instead, superposition represents a state where Presence (Pr) has not yet instantiated, yielding P × I × 0 = 0 (potential but not actual). Measurement does not "cause" collapse through mysterious observer effects; it provides the Presence component required for actualization. This resolution eliminates the need for Multiple Worlds or hidden variables while maintaining consistency with quantum mechanical predictions.
The Schrödinger's Cat paradox was proposed in 1935 by Edwin Schrodinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, as an attempt to visualize the macroscopic realization of a quantum superposition state. A cat is placed in a sealed box together with a vial of poison. A two-state particle (e.g. an electron) is sent into a detector in the box resulting either in a broken or an intact vial and a dead or live cat, respectively. The main problem consists in whether the superposition state of a microscopic particle can be transferred upon the macroscopic cat, that is, whether the cat can exist in a superposition state, being simultaneously dead and alive. Since the standard Copenhagen interpretation is unable to assign any reality to the quantum superposition state, the paradox finds no resolution within the regime of this interpretation. Von Neumann's insistence on the uniform treatment of both microscopic (quantum) and macroscopic (classical) objects according to the laws of quantum mechanics provides a more consistent framework for the resolution of the paradox. In particular, the discovery of the phenomenon of decoherence, whereby the disappearance of the quantum interferences at the macro level is accounted for, suggests the onset of an extremely efficient interference relaxation process (10-23 s) upon the interaction of the two state particle with the detector. As a result, Schrodinger's cat can exist macroscopically either as dead or alive and never as a combination of both. Decoherence not only aids the resolution of the Schrodinger's Cat paradox but also sheds light upon the mechanisms by which the macro-world emerges from the microscopic quantum realm.