Issue |
EPL
Volume 131, Number 4, August 2020
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 40001 | |
Number of page(s) | 7 | |
Section | General | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/131/40001 | |
Published online | 02 September 2020 |
Wigner's friend, Feynman's paths and material records
1 Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Modélisation, CNRS Unité 8089, CY Cergy Paris Université F-95302 Cergy- Pontoise cedex, France
2 Departmento de Química- Física, Universidad del País Vasco, UPV/EHU - Leioa, Spain
3 IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science - E-48011 Bilbao, Spain
Received: 20 July 2020
Accepted: 21 August 2020
The place and role of an Observer in quantum mechanics has been a subject of an ongoing debate since the theory's inception. Wigner brought this question to the fore in a celebrated scenario in which a super-Observer observes a Friend making a measurement. Here we briefly review why this “Wigner Friend scenario” has been taken to require the introduction of the Observer's consciousness, or alternatively to show the inconsistency of quantum measurement theory. We will argue that quantum theory can consistently leave observers outside its narrative, by making only minimal assumptions about how the information about the observed results is stored in material records.
PACS: 03.65.Ta – Foundations of quantum mechanics; measurement theory / 03.65.Aa – Quantum systems with finite Hilbert space / 03.65.Ud – Entanglement and quantum nonlocality (e.g. EPR paradox, Bell's inequalities, GHZ states, etc.)
© 2020 The author(s)
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.