Recently, a team of theoretical physicists proposed a new solution to the Schrödinger’s cat paradoxwhich could allow Einstein’s theories of quantum mechanics and relativity to coexist in the best possible way.
It is never easy to talk about certain topics, however, this time we will try to “brutally simplify” (as much as possible) truly advanced physical concepts and complex. You are ready?
To begin with, it is worth remembering how the laws of quantum physics postulate that physical objects can exist in a combination of multiple states. It will therefore be possible for them to be in two places at the same time or to possess different speeds at the same time.
We therefore introduce the concept of “overlap“, according to which a system remains in this state until it interacts with a measuring device (i.e., it is observed directly), thanks to which will only take on well-defined values as a result of the measurement itself. Such a sharp change in the state of the system, is called “collapse“.
At this point the physicist Erwin Schrödinger comes into play, who summarized this theory in 1935 with his famous Schrödinger’s cat paradox, which he is simultaneously alive and dead and which we have already told you about extensively.
The quantum laws, however, they apply to the realm of elementary particles. In fact, larger objects behave in accordance with classical physics as predicted by general theory of relativity by Einstein and they are never observed in a superposition of states.
As lead author Matteo Carlesso, a theoretical physicist at the University of Trieste in Italy, points out: “The question is: it is possible that the Universe is in such a superposition? Observations say no: everything follows the classical predictions of General Relativity“. So how can we reconcile the two things?
To address the problem, the researchers proposed modifications to the Schrödinger equationwhich governs how all states, including superposition ones, evolve over time.
Specifically, the team added terms to the equation that captured how the system interacts with itself. The distinction between objects subject to measurement and measuring devices was then eliminated, proposing that the state of each system undergoes a spontaneous collapse at regular intervals.
“Without any action by external entities, any system spontaneously localizes (or collapses) to a particular state. To paraphrase, instead of having a dead AND alive cat, you find it dead OR alive“, said Carlesso. For the more curious, you can find the entire paper at the following link.
“Our model describes a quantum universe, which it eventually collapsed and thus became effectively classical“, declared Carlesso himself.
After seeing the ‘discovery that will transform the world’ and although this theory explains why the universe can be governed by the classical laws of physics, test the theory experimentally itself, it won’t be that simple.
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