What do we mean by the collapse of the wave function?

In quantum mechanics, wave function collapse occurs when a wave function—initially in a superposition of several eigenstates—reduces to a single eigenstate due to interaction with the external world. Collapse is a black box for a thermodynamically irreversible interaction with a classical environment.

Who discovered wavefunction collapse?

Erwin Schrödinger
2014 : WHAT SCIENTIFIC IDEA IS READY FOR RETIREMENT? Fourscore and seven years ago, Erwin Schrödinger invented wave-functions as a way to describe the behavior of atoms and other small objects. According to the rules of quantum mechanics, the motions of objects are unpredictable.

What are the problems in measurement in research?

The use of complex words, beyond the comprehension of the respondent, ambiguous meanings, poor printing, inadequate space for replies, response choice omissions, etc. are a few things that make the measuring instrument defective and may result in measurement errors.

Can an animal collapse a wave function?

So no, no animals have been used to collapse the wave function – it happens all by itself.

Does consciousness cause wave function collapse?

1. That the brain, mind or consciousness play no subjective role in the collapse of the wave function, with this event taking place naturally in an objective and stochastic discontinuous nonlinear fashion within the complex architecture of the eye.

What is the collapse of a wave function called?

When the atom interacts with an object (is “measured”), the wave function collapses. Upon collapse, the atom is measured as having one of the two possible energy levels. In this animation, the collapse of the wave function is called “decoherence.”

What is the collapse of wave function in Bohm theory?

In Bohm interpretation the collapse of the wave function happens when the observer introduces into the measured system some perturbation, which is inevitable when performing the measurement. The difference between the measurement and any other interaction is in that the perturbation introduced by measurement is unknown beforehand.

Does a wave function collapse to an eigenstate?

No, it doesn’t collapse to an eigenstate. Collapse to an eigenstate is a picture of an ideal measurement. In general the final state will not be describable by a wave function, because it’s not a pure state, it is instead a mixed state.

What happens to the wave function when a measurement is made?

However, when a measurement is made, the wave function collapses—from an observer’s perspective—to just one of the basis states, and the property being measured uniquely acquires the eigenvalue of that particular state, . After the collapse, the system again evolves according to the Schrödinger equation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbH5eCu_T0E