Measurement problem
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| - | '''Quantum mysticism''' is the claim that the laws of [[quantum mechanics]] incorporate mystical ideas similar to those found in certain religious traditions or [[New Age]] beliefs. It is descended from the [[measurement problem]] – the seemingly special role which observers play in quantum mechanics. The term '''quantum mysticism''' is used pejoratively by [[Scientific skepticism|skeptical scientists]] to discount the idea that quantum theory supports mystical beliefs. | + | ''The '''measurement problem''' in [[quantum mechanics]] is the unresolved problem of how [[wavefunction collapse]] occurs. The inability to observe this process directly has given rise to different [[interpretations of quantum mechanics]], and poses a key set of questions that each interpretation must answer. The [[wavefunction]] in [[quantum mechanics]] evolves according to the [[Schrödinger equation]] into a linear [[Quantum superposition|superposition]] of different states, but actual measurements always find the physical system in a definite state. Any future evolution is based on the state the system was discovered to be in when the measurement was made, meaning that the measurement "did something" to the process under examination. Whatever that "something" may be does not appear to be explained by the basic theory. |
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| - | Parallels with mysticism were first drawn by the founders of quantum mechanics, most notably [[Erwin Schrödinger]], [[Werner Heisenberg]], [[Wolfgang Pauli]], [[Niels Bohr]], and [[Eugene Wigner]]. Nevertheless, critics such as [[science fiction]] writer [[Greg Egan]] and commentator [[Margaret Wertheim]], along with many scientists, have opined that quantum mysticism is a hijacking of quantum physics by ill-informed purveyors of [[pseudo-science]]. | + | |
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The measurement problem in quantum mechanics is the unresolved problem of how wavefunction collapse occurs. The inability to observe this process directly has given rise to different interpretations of quantum mechanics, and poses a key set of questions that each interpretation must answer. The wavefunction in quantum mechanics evolves according to the Schrödinger equation into a linear superposition of different states, but actual measurements always find the physical system in a definite state. Any future evolution is based on the state the system was discovered to be in when the measurement was made, meaning that the measurement "did something" to the process under examination. Whatever that "something" may be does not appear to be explained by the basic theory.
