Many-worlds interpretation in the context of Wave function collapse

Many-worlds interpretation in the context of Wave function collapse

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⭐ Core Definition: Many-worlds interpretation

The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realized in different "worlds". The evolution of reality as a whole in MWI is rigidly deterministic and local. Many-worlds is also called the relative state formulation or the Everett interpretation, after physicist Hugh Everett, who first proposed it in 1957. Bryce DeWitt popularized the formulation and named it many-worlds in the 1970s.

In modern versions of many-worlds, the subjective appearance of wave function collapse is explained by the mechanism of quantum decoherence. Decoherence approaches to interpreting quantum theory have been widely explored and developed since the 1970s. MWI is considered a mainstream interpretation of quantum mechanics, along with the other decoherence interpretations, the Copenhagen interpretation, and hidden variable theories such as Bohmian mechanics.

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👉 Many-worlds interpretation in the context of Wave function collapse

In various interpretations of quantum mechanics, wave function collapse, also called reduction of the state vector, occurs when a wave function—initially in a superposition of several eigenstates—reduces to a single eigenstate due to interaction with the external world. This interaction is called an observation and is the essence of a measurement in quantum mechanics, which connects the wave function with classical observables such as position and momentum. Collapse is one of the two processes by which quantum systems evolve in time; the other is the continuous evolution governed by the Schrödinger equation.

In the Copenhagen interpretation, wave function collapse connects quantum to classical models, with a special role for the observer. By contrast, objective-collapse proposes an origin in physical processes. In the many-worlds interpretation, collapse does not exist; all wave function outcomes occur while quantum decoherence accounts for the appearance of collapse.

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Many-worlds interpretation in the context of The Garden of Forking Paths

"The Garden of Forking Paths" (original Spanish title: "El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan") is a 1941 short story by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. It is the title story in the collection El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan (1941), which was republished in its entirety in Ficciones (Fictions) in 1944. It was the first of Borges's works to be translated into English by Anthony Boucher when it appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in August 1948. In 1958 it was translated again into English by Donald A. Yates and published in Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review, Spring 1958. In 1962 this translation was included in the book Labyrinths (New Directions).

The story's theme has been said to foreshadow the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. It may have been inspired by work of the philosopher and science fiction author Olaf Stapledon.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← The Garden of Forking Paths ← Wave function collapse
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Schrödinger's cat → Interpretation of quantum mechanics → Universal wavefunction → Philosophical realism → Wave function collapse → Possible world → Determinism → Principle of locality → Physicist → Hugh Everett III → Bryce DeWitt → Quantum decoherence → Copenhagen interpretation → Hidden variable theories → De Broglie–Bohm theory →