Authorfieldsofcolor

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addition to article on "measurement problem"

Following is an insert (slightly modified) that I tried to add to the "Measurement Problem" article, at the end of the "Interpretations" section. Can anyone tell me why it was rejected?

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Besides the above solutions based on Quantum Mechanics, there is a much simpler solution offered by Quantum Field Theory in its “fields only” sense as formulated by Julian Schwinger .* (It should be noted that this is not the usual interpretation of QFT.)

The problem was created because Quantum Mechanics does not provide a consistent picture of reality. It deals with superpositions of states with various probabilities that collapse when someone looks, but it doesn’t describe what happens until then. Quantum Field Theory, on the other hand, offers a picture of reality at every moment of time, even when no one is looking. This picture consists of fields (properties of space) that are present at every point, but with field intensities that are specified by vectors in an abstract Hilbert space, not by simple numbers. These fields evolve deterministically according to the equations of QFT.

However the field equations do not tell the whole story; they do not describe how energy is transferred from one quantum to another. So in addition to the evolution governed by the equations, there is another process in which a field quantum deposits its energy (or part of its energy) into another quantum and disappears from all other points in space. While this collapse is not described by the equations of QFT, it is necessary if quanta are to be indivisible units.

Thus the QFT picture of a measurement consists of two phases. In the first phase an incident quantum, say a radiated photon, interacts with all quanta that it encounters, as per the field equations. This interaction is reversible and may be called the “entanglement” phase (although that word is sometimes used in other senses). Then, at some point that cannot be determined by the theory, the incident quantum collapses into another object, say an atom in a Geiger counter, and transfers its energy to it. This process is irreversible and initiates a chain of events that may lead to a macroscopic change. For example, In Schrödinger’s cat experiment, when the radiated quantum collapses into the Geiger counter, an electric current is created that trips a relay that releases the poison gas that kills the cat.

Thus QFT, in the Schwingerian formulation, provides a solution that is fully in accord with our intuitive beliefs. In fact, for those who believe that the world is made of quantized fields, this is the only possible solution to the measurement problem. Authorfieldsofcolor (talk) 19:54, 19 November 2016 (UTC)

Addition to article "measurement problem"

I would like to add the following to the article "Measurement Problem", at the end of "Interpretations". Can an editor (or someone) please tell me if this is suitable, and if not, why not?

Adding an entire paragraph that's longer than the space given any other explanation based on a couple of 1950s papers seems to give that one opinion undue weight. Furthermore, there are some very strong claims in there which I rather doubt are facts - for example, "This solution is fully in accord with our intuitive beliefs and, for those who believe the world is made of quantized fields, it is the only possible solution" - so all those people who provided different solutions do not "believe the world is made of quantized fields"? What's the source for that, also the Schwinger papers? Schwinger may have been a Nobel Prize laureate for his work in quantum physics, but I would be very reluctant to take even him as an authority on what solutions other physicists might consider possible. The website you want to add as an external link does not seem particularly reliable to me; it's just someone's personal opinion. I do not think it should be added.

It may be more helpful to propose changes to the article at Talk:Measurement problem. Huon (talk) 00:39, 25 November 2016 (UTC)

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Besides the above solutions based on Quantum Mechanics, there is a different solution offered by Quantum Field Theory in its true “only fields” sense as formulated by Julian Schwinger <ref|Julian Schwinger “The Theory of Quantized Fields”, five papers in Phys. Rev. 1951-54|/ref>. This solution is fully in accord with our intuitive beliefs and, for those who believe the world is made of quantized fields, it is the only possible solution. The problem was created because Quantum Mechanics does not provide a consistent picture of reality. It deals with quantum superpositions with various probabilities that collapse when someone looks, but it doesn’t describe what happens until then. Quantum Field Theory, on the other hand, in the Schwinger formulation, offers a picture of reality at every moment of time, even when no one is looking. This picture consists of fields (properties of space) that are present at every point, but with field intensities that are specified by vectors in an abstract Hilbert space, not by simple numbers. These fields evolve deterministically according to the equations of QFT. However the field equations do not tell the whole story; they do not describe how energy is transferred from one quantum to another. In addition to the evolution governed by the equations, there is another process in which a field quantum deposits its energy (or part of its energy) into another quantum and disappears from all other points in space (see external links). While this collapse is not described by the equations of QFT, it is necessary if quanta are to be indivisible units. Thus the QFT picture of a measurement consists of two phases. In the first phase an incident quantum, say a radiated photon, interacts with all quanta that it encounters, as per the field equations. This interaction is reversible and may be called the “entanglement” phase (although that word is sometimes used in other senses). Then, at some point that cannot be determined by the theory, the incident quantum collapses into another object, say an atom in a Geiger counter, and transfers its energy to it. This process is irreversible and initiates a chain of events that may lead to a macroscopic change. For example, in Schrödinger’s cat experiment, when the radiated quantum collapses into the Geiger counter, an electric current is created that trips a relay that releases the poison gas that kills the cat. Until that time the cat is alive; after that it is dead.

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I would also like to add the following to "External links"

Quantum collapse See paragraph on “quantum collapse”

Authorfieldsofcolor (talk) 22:42, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

Thanks for your prompt reply. Please tell me if the following addition to the "Measurement problem" page (at the end of "Interpretations" section) is now suitable. I shortened it by incorporating more Wikipedia links, and also eliminated the external link. It is now shorter than the third published "interpretation". I could also eliminate the last two sentences, bringing the total to 195 words, but I would prefer to keep them.

Again, the article's talk page at Talk:Measurement problem is the best place to discuss improvements of that article; editors interested in that topic are much more likely to see a proposal on the article's talk page than here. The length now seems more appropriate to me, and the rather editorializing parts are gone, so that's an improvement too. I still wonder whether there are some sources for that interpretation that are less than a half-century old, though. Huon (talk) 21:37, 25 November 2016 (UTC)

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The measurement problem arises because Quantum Mechanics deals with quantum superpositions that collapse when someone looks. On the other hand, Quantum Field Theory, in its “only fields” sense <ref|Julian Schwinger “The Theory of Quantized Fields”, five papers in Phys. Rev. 1951-54|/ref>, provides a picture of reality at every moment, even when no one is looking. This picture consists of fields that are present at every point, but with intensities specified by vectors in Hilbert space, not by simple numbers. These fields evolve deterministically according to the QFT equations. In addition there is a process not described by the equations in which a field quantum deposits its energy into another quantum and disappears. This is a physical collapse, not a collapse of probabilities. Thus the QFT picture of measurement comprises two phases: First an incident quantum interacts with all quanta that it encounters as per the field equations. This interaction is reversible and may be called the “entanglement” phase. Then, at some point that cannot be determined by the theory, the incident quantum collapses into another object and transfers its energy to it, initiating a chain of events that can lead to macroscopic changes. For example, in Schrödinger’s cat experiment, when the radiated quantum collapses into an atom in the Geiger counter, an electric current is created that trips a relay that releases the poison gas that kills the cat. Until that time the cat is alive; after that it is dead.

addition to article "measurement problem"

I don't know how or where to respond to the editor's comments, so I'm doing it here. I fixed the problems pointed out in my addition. In particular, I beefed up the references with more links to Wikipedia articles, and more importantly, I explained the difference between providing a picture of reality at every moment and predicting when a particular event will occur. The new version has been inserted and I hope it is now satisfactory.

Editor: It is very important that this Quantum Field Theory solution gets added. Wikipedia is filled with articles about Quantum Mechanics, the measurement problem, Schrodinger's cat, etc., but there is very little mention of Quantum Field Theory in its "fields only" sense. This needs to be remedied. The public is entitled to know about quantum fields and how they provide a much simpler solution to the measurement problem. However, after Schwinger's 1950's papers there are very few references that take this point of view. I hope you will accept this addition.

Authorfieldsofcolor (talk) 05:18, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

I don't know which editor you're referring to, or where (here or at the article's talk page). You should reply wherever the discussion is going, to ensure continuity (if it started on your talkpage, continue on your talkpage, and so on). Be sure to ping the user, so that they get a notification. Use {{re|USER}}. And always sign your posts, to show the time, and keep things tidy. Use the {{re}} template wherever the discussion was underway to alert them and carry on the discussion. —Hexafluoride ^{Ping me if you need help, or post on my talk} 07:35, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

A recent edit

Please tell me what happened to an insertion I just made on your "Measurement Problem" article. Was it removed, and why?

Authorfieldsofcolor (talk) 12:24, 3 August 2019 (UTC)Rodney Brooks (author of "Fields of Color") (redacted)

Authorfieldsofcolor (talk) 12:24, 3 August 2019 (UTC)

The edit history indicates that someone removed it as original research, which is not permitted on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is only interested in independent reliable sources, not primary sources. Also, I have removed your contact information for your security; it is not wise to publish it in this public forum, and most Wikipedia related business should be conducted on Wikipedia. If you wish others to be able to email you, you can add an email address to your Preferences and check the box to allow others to email you, which does not reveal your email address(unless you reply to them). 331dot (talk) 12:44, 3 August 2019 (UTC)