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NOT Copenhagen David J. Sager Downloadable from: sager.a2hosted.com 10/21/2017
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Copyright © 2017, David J. Sager
Copyright © 2017, David J. Sager. Permission is hereby given for anyone to copy, reproduce, and distribute this work in its entirety or in part, for any purpose, provided that proper attribution to the author is included, and a reference to where the entire work may be obtained is included. If the entire work, including this copyright notice, is kept intact and unaltered, then this, in itself, constitutes such reference. Otherwise, the requirement for a reference may be satisfied by including a World Wide Web location or Internet Address from which the entire work may be downloaded. If the work is altered, this must be clearly noted in the attribution.
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Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
The Widely Accepted and Taught View Since about 1930 Einstein very uncomfortable with it Many Highly Regarded Physicists Unhappy with it Steven Weinberg (Nobel Laureate) Copenhagen Interpretation "is now widely felt to be unacceptable."
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“Quantum Mechanics Model”
This Presentation Alternative to the Copenhagen Interpretation Emphasizes that A Model is one thing Reality is something else NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED (yet) Unconventional
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Quantum Mechanics Model
Does NOT change calculations of familiar problems Mostly, keep on doing what you are already doing With very few exceptions
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BIG FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE
In Copenhagen Wave Function is a REAL PHYSICAL THING “Commands Nature” Anything that happens to Wave Function makes REAL PHYSICAL things happen Nature Collapses the wave function “if anybody looks” Nature inflicts this upon us Wave Function of an Electron IS the Electron Quantum Mechanics Model Wave Function is Mathematical Object ONLY Exists ONLY in our models There is no “physical thing” in REALITY that is manifestation of Wave Function Wave Function of Electron NOT ANYTHING LIKE the electron A Model is one thing, Reality is something else!
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Even if Wave Function is not a Physical “Thing”
There still is a Wave Function (in our model), computed the same way PROBABILITIES of VALUES of Physical Parameters computed from the Wave Function Just as you are doing it now Keep on doing what you were doing
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Development in Time UNDER PHYSICAL LAWS: Schrodinger’s Equation
For the Hamiltonian Operator, H: i (h/2π)(∂Ψ/∂t) = H Ψ Schrodinger’s Equation Hint: Things other than Physical Laws can change the Wave Function too! It’s that word: PROBABILITY IMPORTANT THEOREM Each state propagates into the future independently. Really easy to prove
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“Probability” is a BIG and strange word. Let’s Play Poker!
Initially all players see the probabilities of the possible hands around the table the same. As soon as I get a card say a King, my probabilities immediately change. My Wave Function Changes. But only mine. Everybody else’s Wave Function is the same By the time every player has gotten a card, every persons probability for every hand is different. Everybody’s Wave Function for everything is different There is physics of the cards and there is what each person knows or doesn’t know They both contribute to the Wave Function and the PROBABILITIES! Many different Wave Functions!! What are the consequences??
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NOTHING!
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SCHRODINGER’S CAT Cat in a Box out of sight Radioactive atom in Box
IF Mechanism detects radiation it KILLS Cat Random, subject to Quantum Mechanics AS TOLD IN COPENHAGEN … Wave Function becomes mixture of Alive & Dead CAT (outrageous) If anybody looks in the box… Wave Function INSTANTLY Collapses!! This is taken Seriously as a Real Physical Thing!! Wave Function Commands Nature. There are big, serious consequences People STILL arguing about exactly what triggers this miraculous instantaneous change and by what mechanism it can happen. Half a Century later!
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CAT In QUANTUM MECHANICS MODEL
The Wave Function is a Mathematical Object that exists only in our Models There is NO Physical Manifestation of the Wave Function Wave Function is used to record and compute PROBABILITIES Probabilities are PARTLY due to Physics. Probabilities are Often, even MORE, the result of what we Don’t Know Nature Cannot Collapse the Wave Function We CAN, if we Want To! Our Wave Function Certainly CANNOT “Command Nature” Nature does NOT CARE what we do with our Wave Function Look in Box OPTIONALLY, you can zero the probability for the way nature did NOT go, in your wave function to make use of your new information. Others, who did not see, still use their old Wave Function (50-50 Alive & Dead). When they see, if they zero the probabilities for the wrong way, WE WILL ALL BE SAME! Your look in the Box did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING physically
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SCHRODINGER’S CAT Wave Function has a Real PHYSICAL Manifestation
Big Trouble for more than 80 years No Physical Manifestation of Wave Function Everything Normal Nothing Remarkable In fact, absolutely nothing interesting here Much more about this in the Paper More interesting things to get to here …
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The STATIC UNIVERSE MODEL
No Widely accepted model or theory UNDERNEATH Quantum Mechanics The Static Universe Model Model of how nature makes Quantum Mechanics work (and some other things work) UNDERNEATH Quantum Mechanics Simple Minded NOT widely accepted Useful
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General Relativity This is NOT the way nature sees the Universe
Paradox Hypothesized: Possible to travel back in time I go back in time and kill myself before I went back in time Answer! This is NOT the way nature sees the Universe …
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The Static Universe Model
The whole universe is a STUPENDOUS collection of complete Trajectories through Space-Time. Absolutely STATIC We see a moving particle – nature sees a line through Space-Time No such thing as “moving” All movement is already represented in the tajectories through Space-Time The Universe and Everything in it just “IS” “Trajectory” is to mean NOT just the XYZ for each T, but ALL Physical Parameters, for example: internal angular momentum, and everything else. I have to call it something, so I call it a “Trajectory” but not to imply it is only XYZT.
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+ TIME Interaction - X Alive + X Interaction - TIME
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Classical vs Quantum Mechanics
Classical Mechanics Given Initial Conditions (whole Universe) and laws of physics, a particle has only 1 possible Trajectory through Space Time Quantum Mechanics Model Given Initial Conditions (whole Universe) and laws of physics, a particle has multiple, perhaps very many possible Trajectories through Space Time Nature has selected ONE of the many possible Trajectories to be the real one The set of selected trajectories is the REALITY that nature delivers to us. In any individual case, nature does not tell us, in advance, what its choice was. But nature is statistically predictable. The Wave Function is our model of the multiple choices from which nature has selected a trajectory and statistically how it would choose.
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Static Universe, Quantum Mechanics Model
Nature Choosing a Trajectory from many possible Trajectories Nature looks at the possible Trajectories NOT only as the Pool from which to pick The existence or non existence of Trajectories that nature does NOT pick influences the choice that nature makes (interference and diffraction). Nature considers other Trajectories for other particles Beam of particles with many possible trajectories Nature does not make the same choice for all the particles! Since it is a static universe, nature sees the complete story of every particle in the universe and all possible choices it could make Nature could be influenced by anything Our Physics does pretty well at modeling what DOES influence nature. This is what Physics is about.
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Repeated Measurement As told in Copenhagen
First measurement is “indefinite”. Probabilistic result. Result is p. First measurement causes INSTANT COLLAPSE OF WAVE FUNCTION to eigen function with p as eigen value The Wave Function is a Real Physical Thing that Commands Nature There are potentially huge consequences of this Hence forth, measurements will get p for sure
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Repeated Measurement In Quantum Mechanics Model with Static Universe Model Nature has chosen all the Trajectories (probabilistic). Having made the choices, now nature is ABSOLUTELY DEFINITE (NOT probabilistic). Result of first measurement probabilistic TO US, ONLY because WE don’t know what nature chose. After first measurement, now we know. OPTIONALLY, in our Wave Function, we can zero probabilities of things we now know are not what nature chose. Nature DOES NOT CARE what we do with our Wave Function. Measuring the same thing over and over gives the same answer BECAUSE we are measuring the TRUE Trajectory that nature chose over and over. This is DEAD SIMPLE! Why make it so hard (Copenhagen)??
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Alternating Measurements
Angular momentum about X axis is “Conjugate” to Angular momentum about Y axis If you are in definite state for one, you know nothing about the other Stern-Gerlach Experiments with a beam of spin ½ atoms. Beam (random spin up and spin down) select only spin up (no spin down). For each atom, nature must choose spin up or spin down Physics says spin up is a 50% - 50% mixture of spin left and spin right Then select only spin left For each atom, nature must choose spin left or spin right Physics says spin left is a 50% - 50% mixture of spin up and spin down Then separate into spin up and spin down For each atom, nature must choose spin up or spin down – Spin down regenerated! Nature resolves Indefinite Parameters by making choices. Indefinite parameters exist to provide choice to nature!! Otherwise boring!
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Double Slit Electrons fired at screen with 2 parallel slits
Electrons that get through the slits hit second screen Records where each electron hits Get classic Interference pattern. Copenhagen: electron must go through both slits (but you can’t detect that!). The “Wave Function” IS the electron Quantum Mechanics Model There is NO state in state space with the electron in 2 places. The electron absolutely goes through 1 slit at most. IN OUR MODEL Wave Function goes through both slits makes interference pattern (phenomenological model of nature choosing) Nature chooses trajectory for each electron. Even if the electron goes through left slit, nature is influenced by the existence of right slit possible path.
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Entanglement Spin 0 particle decays to 2 spin ½ particles.
Conservation of Angular Momentum: the particles MUST have opposite spin about ANY axis you wish! Particles travel for miles in different directions. Then the spins are measured about some prearranged matching but random axis. Experimental result: the spins are always opposite! Copenhagen: Big problem Requires much faster than speed of light communication over long distance! No proposal for this communication. No communication ever detected. Quantum Mechanics Model: No problem Static Universe model: Can see the whole thing “at beginning of the universe” Nature chooses trajectories for both particles Nature is REALLY SERIOUS about Conservation of Angular Momentum!
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Electromagnetic field from Beta Decay
In Copenhagen A probability of the decay for days; electron could go in any direction Wave Function spreads for miles in all directions for days. Wave Function (essentially) IS the electron. Charge spreads for miles days before electron even exists! Electromagnetic field is proportional to the electron probability Weak electromagnetic field for miles in every direction days before the electron exists! If this field gets detected, IT FORCES THE DECAY TO HAPPEN! Wave Function and Electromagnetic field must BECOME CONSISTENT WITH THE ACTUAL ELECTRON PATH INSTANTLY! Must NEVER have anything inconsistent detected If the electron gets detected Fallacy: tiny probability of strong field is NOT a weak field! It is a high probability of NOTHING. Fundamentally, the Wave Function IS the electron does NOT work well.
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Electromagnetic field from Beta Decay
Quantum Mechanics Model with Static Universe Model Nature has decided: When and where the decay will happen, and the electron trajectory. Decay happening is BINARY EVENT: has happened or not. NO DECAY “A LITTLE BIT”. Before Decay: no electron anywhere, NO ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ANYWHERE. After Decay: normal expected electromagnetic field around the ACTUAL trajectory of the electron Certainly no field in directions the electron did not go!! BASICALLY: The Quantum Mechanics is in the many decay times and many electron trajectories from which nature will choose and the choices nature makes. Once the CHOICES ARE MADE … things are pretty much classical! Fundamentally very simple. Why make it so hard?!
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Particle – Particle Interaction
Probability Density in SPACE – TIME of interaction of A and B = Probability Density of A X Probability Density of B X interaction strength Nature will choose IF, WHEN, WHERE there is an interaction and the Trajectories of the outgoing particles. Interaction is BINARY event: Interaction happened or it did NOT. Absolutely NO interaction “A LITTLE BIT” “Probability is a strange word” Probability Density of A (or B) presence could be mostly the result of what we don’t know, rather than physics. Hence Probability Density of Interaction can be mostly result of what we don’t know Probability Density of Interaction is just like all other probabilities Can be highly dependent on What WE Know or Don’t Know!
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Particle In a Box R. A. Buckingham, in D. R. Bates, editor: Quantum Theory I. Elements, computed the momentum distribution of Particle in a BOX Significant Momentum, in fact, UNBOUNDED momentum. In my opinion … More suggestive of particle rattling around inside its cage Than of a cloud in shape of the Wave Function just sitting there.
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Isolated Hydrogen Atom
R. A. Buckingham also finds very substantial momentum in the electron in the Ground (1s) State of the Hydrogen atom We can be sure that there is at least radial momentum Suppose the electron is a point particle (rather than a cloud in the shape of the Wave Function) It is rattling about, at least radially If it would stay on a radial, that would be very bad news. I postulated that the electron WOULD stay on a radial and called that radial X=0. My humble calculations indicated substantial X momentum, in fact, unbounded. The electron would not stay at X=0. Not surprising: all particles in all circumstances do not stay at a fixed value of any one of the 3 dimensions of space. A point electron would rattle around the proton (quite violently) in the ground state of Hydrogen. In my opinion: more suggestive of point electron than of a cloud sitting there
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The Photon Particle like any other EXCEPT 0 rest mass
Special Relativity gives it a mass proportional to its energy Frequency determines Energy MUST always travel at the speed of light CANNOT gain or lose energy without disappearing Generates no field (not like electron surrounded by Electromagnetic field) INTERACTS WITH SOMETHING or IS COMPLETELY UNDETECTED INTERACTS: Disappears and there are outgoing particles, possibly new Photons Nature picks a Trajectory for it, the same as any other particle Nature picks place, time of interaction, trajectories of outgoing particles, same as any other particle
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ENDWORD From a Starting Point
CLASSICAL MECHANICS: Exactly 1 way forward – no choice QUANTUM MECHANICS: Many ways forward – many choices required Nature makes the choices to get to Exactly 1 way forward Nature does not tell us, in advance, what choices it has made Predicting the future is a betting game – probabilities We have confused ourselves (Copenhagen) into believing that the Betting Game IS the Reality NO! A Model is one thing and Reality is something else!
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