2025/05/26 by Peter Renkel, Renkel, Peter
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2505.19380
openalex publication_date 2025/05/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
This paper proposes an experiment designed to distinguish between competing interpretations of quantum mechanics: those that involve wave function collapse and those that assume purely unitary evolution. The experiment tests whether an observer can measure a system without collapsing its wave function. To this end, we introduce the concept of an unconscious observer, defined by two criteria: (1) It measures a quantum system and sets the state of another system based on the result. (2) It allows an external experimentalist to infer the measurement outcome by examining the observer's state. The more distinguishable the observer's resulting states, the more it resembles a conventional measurement apparatus. Using weak measurements, the experimentalist probes these states, thereby testing the second criterion. The interference patterns observed in this setup reveal whether collapse has occurred, allowing experimental discrimination between collapse-based and unitary interpretations.