A Parameter-Free Action Collapse Threshold For Quantum Collapse

Author: David Werner

Abstract

This paper proposes a speculative framework for a quantum collapse threshold based on irreversible action. Once the cumulative environmental action crosses a universal threshold, S=(e*h), quantum superpositions irreversibly transition into classical outcomes. This collapse threshold is motivated by thermodynamic principles: Euler’s number e describes the natural scale of irreversible entropy growth, and Planck’s constant h sets the fundamental quantum of action. This theory aims to prompt further discussion on the informational and thermodynamic underpinnings of quantum measurement. In this paper, a novel parameter-free and falsifiable law for quantum state reduction has been derived, which both predicts the Page curve and preserves the Born rule. This model provides a unified, testable framework connecting quantum measurement, thermodynamics, and information theory. 

Editor's Note: This article presents a speculative and exploratory proposal for thinking about quantum collapse through cumulative irreversible action. The suggested threshold and its possible links to decoherence, the Born rule, and black-hole information, should be read as part of the proposed model rather than as an established result in quantum foundations. Since the measurement problem remains unresolved and collapse models are still an active area of research, this work is best understood as a hypothesis meant to encourage discussion, critique, and further investigation.

Read online

Please click here to read this article online.

Download PDF

A Parameter-Free Action Collapse Threshold for Quantum Collapse - JYP.pdf

Download PDF • 1.62MB

References

[1] G.C. Ghirardi, A. Rimini, T. Weber, Unified Dynamics for Microscopic and Macroscopic Systems, Physical Review D 34, 470–491 (1986).

[2] R. Penrose, On Gravity's Role in Quantum State Reduction, General Relativity and Gravitation 28, 581–600 (1996).

[3] W.H. Zurek, Decoherence and the Transition from Quantum to Classical, Physics Today 44(10), 36–44 (1991).

[4] R. Landauer, Irreversibility and Heat Generation in the Computing Process, IBM Journal of Research and Development 5(3), 183–191 (1961).

[5] H.-P. Breuer and F. Petruccione, The Theory of Open Quantum Systems, Oxford University Press (2002).

[6] S. Weinberg, Collapse of the State Vector, Physical Review A 85, 062116 (2012).

[7] G. ’t Hooft, Dimensional Reduction in Quantum Gravity, arXiv:gr-qc/9310026 (1993).

[8] E. Verlinde, On the Origin of Gravity and the Laws of Newton, Journal of High Energy Physics 2011, 029 (2011).

[9] L. Diosi, Models for Universal Reduction of Macroscopic Quantum Fluctuations, Physical Review A 40, 1165–1174 (1989).

[10] J. von Neumann, Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Princeton University Press (1955).

[11] W.H. Zurek, Pointer Basis of Quantum Apparatus: Into What Mixture Does the Wave Packet Collapse?, Physical Review D 24, 1516–1525 (1981).

[12] M. Schlosshauer, Decoherence, the Measurement Problem, and Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics, Reviews of Modern Physics 76, 1267–1305 (2005).

[13] A. Bassi and G. C. Ghirardi, Dynamical Reduction Models, Physics Reports 379, 257–426 (2003).

[14] A. Bassi, K. Lochan, S. Satin, T. P. Singh and H. Ulbricht, Models of Wave-Function Collapse, Underlying Theories, and Experimental Tests, Reviews of Modern Physics 85, 471–527 (2013).

[15] M. Carlesso, A. Bassi, M. Paternostro and H. Ulbricht, Testing the Gravitational Field with Quantum Interferometry, New Journal of Physics 21, 093052 (2019).

[16] D. N. Page, Information in Black-Hole Radiation, Physical Review Letters 71, 3743–3746 (1993).

[17] A. Almheiri, T. Hartman, J. Maldacena, E. Shaghoulian and A. Tajdini, Entropy of Hawking Radiation as a Page Curve, Journal of High Energy Physics 2020 (09), 018 (2020).

[18] G. Lindblad, On the Generators of Quantum Dynamical Semigroups, Communications in Mathematical Physics 48, 119–130 (1976).