Einstein’s time vs.quantum time
| October 25, 2011 | Posted by News under Intelligent Design, News, Physics |
Single clock in superposition/University of Vienna
Describing a paper in Nature Communications:
Time in general relativity
One of the counterintuitive predictions of Einstein’s general relativity is that gravity distorts the flow of time. The theory predicts that clocks tick slower near a massive body and tick faster the further they are away from the mass. This effect results in a so-called “twin paradox”: if one twin moves out to live at a higher altitude, he will age faster than the other twin who remains on the ground. This effect has been precisely verified in classical experiments, but not in conjunction with quantum effects, which is the aim of the newly proposed experiment.
Quantum interference and complementarity
The Viennese group of researchers wants to exploit the extraordinary possibility that a single quantum particle can lose the classical property of having a well-defined position, or as phrased in quantum mechanical terms: it can be in a “superposition.” This allows for wave-like effects, called interference, with a single particle. However, if the position of the particle is measured, or even if it can in principle be known, this effect is lost. In other words, it is not possible to observe interference and simultaneously know the position of the particle. Such a connection between information and interference is an example of quantum complementarity — a principle proposed by Niels Bohr. The experimental proposal now published in “Nature Communications” combines this principle with the “twin paradox” of general relativity.
Could be handy to pull this out, if you have to tell the boss you dunno what happened all that time you spent in the park, listening to the birds.
4 Responses to Einstein’s time vs.quantum time
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If they succeed in conducting the experiment, the position of the particle will be found to be completely independent of any time and space constraints that General, and/or Special, Relativity might try to impose. As I’ve said before, quantum mechanics has looked at the equations of General, and Special, Relativity, turned up its nose and sniffed, sans LaPlace, “I HAVE NO NEED OF THAT HYPOTHESIS!!!” In fact, the position of the particle will depend completely on the position of the observer in the experiment and indeed on the observers position of centrality in the universe!.;
Here is the key experiment that led Wigner to his Nobel Prize winning work on quantum symmetries:
i.e. In the experiment the ‘world’ (i.e. the universe) does not have a ‘privileged center’. Yet strangely, the conscious observer does exhibit a ‘privileged center’. This is since the ‘matrix’, which determines which vector will be used to describe the particle in the experiment, is ‘observer-centric’ in its origination! Thus explaining Wigner’s dramatic statement, “It was not possible to formulate the laws (of quantum theory) in a fully consistent way without reference to consciousness.”
further notes:
Moreover, the audacity of quantum mechanics to defy the constraints of space-time does not stop there. There is now a experiment that says these predicted quantum effects to defy space-time constraints will NEVER be overturned!
As well, for the advantage of those who have not seen this before, I point out that a ‘Christian Perspective’ provides, by far, the best, ‘empirically backed’, reconciliation of Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity:
I have my own views as to what makes the world run. The results of the proposed experiment will either confirm, or refute, my intuitions. I’m very much looking forward to the results.
PaV, I would very much like to know what your intuition is.
As for my contention that the space time of General Relativity will be found to ‘break down’ and submit to the ‘observer-centic’ predictions of Quantum mechanics, I point out that when a ‘hypothetical’ observer is allowed within equations of Relativity, to see what will happen as one approaches the speed of light, then even the equation of Relativity itself points out that space-time will ‘fold and collapse’ to form a tunnel shape around that hypothetical observer that was allowed in.;
notes:
In the first part of this following video, the ‘material’ 3-Dimensional ‘space-time’ world ‘folds and collapses’ into a tunnel shape around the direction of travel as a ‘hypothetical’ observer moves towards the ‘higher dimension’ of the speed of light (Of note: This following video which was made by two Australian University Physics Professors with a supercomputer).
Here is the interactive website, with link to the relativistic math at the bottom of the page, related to the preceding video;