My light is a mirror, tell me
Yes, tell the whole truth:
Who's looking through the eyelashes
Can collapse particles?

Quantum version of the old fairy tale

My conscious decision as I will observe the electron, to some extent determines the properties of this electron. If I ask him a corpuscular question, he will give me a corpuscular answer. If I ask him a wave question, he will give a wave answer.

— Fridtjof Capra

This profound shift in the understanding of physicists about the nature of their work and the meaning of formulas is not a mere whim of scientists. It was their last hope. The very idea that in order to understand atomic phenomena, one will have to abandon physical ontology and develop mathematical formulas, reflecting more knowledge about the observer than about the events of the external world, is at first glance so absurd that no group of eminent and distinguished scientists would ever accept it, except as a last resort.

— Henry Stapp

Faced with experimental evidence that the process of observation affects the object, scientists were forced to abandon the ideas that reigned in science for four hundred years, and take up the study revolutionary idea: we are directly involved in reality. Although the nature and extent of our ability to influence reality is still the subject of heated debate, we can agree with the formulation of Fridtjof Capra: “The key idea of ​​quantum theory is that the observer is needed not only to observe the properties atomic phenomenon, but also in order for these properties to arise at all.

The observer influences the observed

Before an observation or measurement is made, the object exists only as a "wave of probability" (in the language of physicists - wave function). It has no fixed position or speed. This wave function, or probability wave, is simply the probability that, when observed or measured, an object will be here or there. It has potential locations and potential speeds - but we can't know their values ​​until we make an observation.

“From this point of view,” writes Brian Greene in The Fabric of the Cosmos, “by determining the position of an electron, we do not measure an objective, inherent feature of reality. Rather, by the very fact of measurement, we are directly involved in the formation of the reality under study. And Fritjof Capra sums it up: "The electron has no objective qualities independent of my consciousness."

All this gradually erases the once distinct boundary between the "outside world" and the subjective observer. They seem to merge, or, figuratively speaking, dance in a collaborative process of discovery—or creation? - the world

Measurement problem

Today, this observational effect is better known as the “measurement problem.” Earlier descriptions of this phenomenon included a conscious observer, however, scientists have constantly tried to remove the problematic word "consciousness" from their theory. For this immediately raises the question of what consciousness is: if a dog sees the results of an experiment with electrons, will this lead to the collapse of the wave function?

excluding from the theory consciousness, scientists have demonstrated an understanding of the fact already mentioned above: the fantasy that it is possible to make measurements and not affect the object being measured will have to be abandoned forever. The so-called “fly on the wall”, which sits on its own and does not affect the surrounding reality in any way, simply cannot exist. (And we don't need to think about Is this fly conscious!)

In order to harmonize the observer, measurement, consciousness and collapse, many theories have been put forward over a fairly long time. The first of these theories, which is still the subject of debate, is the so-called "Copenhagen interpretation".

It seems to me that when people talk about the observer, they miss one important point: who is this observer? Perhaps we are so accustomed to this word that we no longer fully understand it. An observer is every person, regardless of gender, race, social status and religion. This means that EVERY person has the ability to observe and change subatomic reality. Take any person on the street - be it a manager, a plumber, a prostitute, a violinist, a policeman - and he can do it. Not only scientists in their sacred halls. This science belongs to everyone, since science itself is a metaphor for explaining a person. Explain US.

In order to fully understand quantum mechanics, in order to fully determine what it says about reality... we have to come to grips with the problem of quantum measurement.

— Brian Greene, The Fabric of Space.

The question is, are we able to create a mathematical model of what the observer does when he observes and changes reality? So far, we have not been able to do this. Any of the mathematical models we use that include observers seems to imply mathematical discontinuities. The observer is excluded from physical equations for a simple reason: it's easier.

— Fred Alan Wolf, PhD

Copenhagen interpretation

The radical idea that the observer inevitably affects any observed physical process and we cannot remain neutral objective witnesses of objects and phenomena was first defended by Niels Bohr and his fellow countrymen from Copenhagen. That is why this theory is often called the Copenhagen interpretation. Bohr argued that behind the Heisenberg uncertainty principle is not only the fact that we cannot simultaneously determine how fast a particle is moving and where it is located. This is how Fred Alan Wolf describes Bohr's position: “It's not just that you can't measure it. This not at all, no one yet This does not observe. And Heisenberg believed that This still exists on its own." Heisenberg could not accept the idea that this not without an observer. Bohr believed that the particles themselves do not even acquire existence until we observe them, and reality at the quantum level does not exist if no one is observing or measuring.

In fact, many scientists have vehemently disputed this complex and ambiguous idea, which runs counter to common sense and our everyday experience. Einstein and Bohr often argued late into the night, with Einstein saying that he "simply can't take it."

Until now, there is a discussion - one might even say a heated debate - about whether only human consciousness can collapse wave functions and transfer an object from a state of probability to a point state

Heisenberg believed that the key factor here is the mind. He defined the act of measurement itself as "the act of registering the result in the mind of the beholder. A discrete change in the probability function occurs at the moment of registration precisely due to a discrete change in our knowledge at the time of registration, which manifests itself in a discrete change in the probability function.

Or, as Lynn McTaggart says, avoiding scientific terms, “Reality is like jelly that has not yet solidified. The outside world is a colossal indefinite jelly - the potential of our life. And we, with our interest, our attention, our observation, make this jelly freeze. Thus, we are an integral part of the process of reality. Our attention creates this reality.”

Fundamentals of quantum mechanics

This field of study emerged in the 1970s as an attempt to remove the "conscious" component from the theories of quantum mechanics. This was a more mechanistic view of the problem of measurement. The measuring device in physical research began to be considered as an active factor.

Here is how Dr. Albert describes it:

There has been an ever-increasingly intricate debate among scientists on the topic “Can a cat cause these same effects with its mind? Can a mouse cause these effects with its consciousness? In the end, it became clear that the words used in such discussions were so imprecise, so vague, that they could not be used to build a full-fledged scientific theory, and this idea had to be abandoned.

This paper [Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics] is an attempt to understand how equations need to be transformed to explain changes in a quantum state. elementary particles, or what physical factors need to be added to our picture of the world to show how these changes occur.

In short, the foundations of quantum mechanics are an attempt to look at quantum reality from a purely physical point of view - excluding the problems associated with a conscious observer.

In the Einstein universe, all objects have certain physical attributes with strictly certain values. And these attributes do not remain in some ghostly state, waiting for the experimenter to make a measurement and thereby give them existence. Most physicists tend to think that Einstein was wrong about this. From the point of view of this majority, corpuscular properties come into existence only under the influence of measurement ... When observation is not carried out, corpuscular properties are illusory and vague and are characterized only by the probability that this or that potential opportunity.

— Brian Greene, The Fabric of Space.

Many worlds theory

The physicist Hugh Everett suggested that at the moment of a quantum measurement, the quantum function does not collapse into one result, but each possible result is realized. In the process of realizing these results, the universe is divided into as many versions as there are possible measurements. From this arose the idea (rather clumsy, but undoubtedly conducive to the expansion of consciousness) about the existence of many parallel universes, where all quantum potentials are realized.

Consider this concept for a moment: whenever you make a choice, countless parallel possibilities, or outcomes, are realized. simultaneously!

To the question of whether the position of the electron remains unchanged, we answer "no";

to the question of whether the position of the electron changes with time, we answer "no";

to the question of whether the electron remains at rest, we answer "no";

when asked if it moves, we answer "no".

— J. Robert Oppenheimer, creator of the American atomic bomb

quantum logic

The mathematician John von Neumann created a strong mathematical basis quantum theory. Considering the observer and the object of observation, he broke the problem into three processes.

Process 1- the decision of the observer as to what question he will ask the quantum world. My light is a mirror, tell me... This choice already narrows the degree of freedom of the quantum system, limiting its reactions. (Actually, any question limits the answer: if you are asked what fruit you will eat for lunch, "beef" would not be an appropriate answer.)

Process 2 is the evolution of the state of the wave equation. The probability cloud evolves according to the scheme described by the Schrödinger wave equation.

Process 3 is a quantum state that is the answer to the question formulated during the implementation of process 1, or particle collapse.

One of the most interesting parts of this formal procedure is deciding what question to ask the quantum world. Any observation involves a choice of what we intend to observe. It turns out that such concepts as "choice" and "free will" become part of the quantum event. Whether the dog is a conscious observer remains an open question; however, the answer to the question whether the dog ever made the decision (process 1) to make a quantum measurement to investigate the wave nature of the electron seems quite obvious.

This theory of quantum logic does not define what is included in the physical system of process 2. This means that the observer's brain can be perceived as part of an evolving wave function along with the observed electrons. In this regard, a number of theories have arisen that describe consciousness, the mind and the brain. See Henry Stapp. Caring Universe. We will discuss this in more detail in the chapter “The Quantum Brain”.

John von Neumann's quantum logic provided an important key to solving the problem of measurement: measurement becomes measurement through the decision of the observer. This decision limits the degree of freedom of the reactions of a physical system (for example, an electron) and thus affects the result (reality).

neorealism

The founder of neorealism was Einstein, who refused to accept any interpretation that ordinary reality does not exist on its own, independent of observations and measurements. Neorealists believe that reality consists of objects whose behavior is consistent with the principles of classical physics, and the paradoxes of quantum mechanics point to the incompleteness and flaws of the theory. This approach is also known as the "hidden variable" interpretation. This means that once we discover the hidden factors, all paradoxes will be resolved by themselves.

Consciousness creates reality

This interpretation takes to an extreme the idea that the very act of conscious observation is a key factor in the creation of reality. In this case, the act of observation acquires a privileged role in the process of collapsing the probable into the real. Majority representatives physical science perceive this interpretation as an "esoteric" fantasy, indicating that the "esotericists" do not understand what, in fact, is the problem of measurement.

We devote an entire chapter to discussing this issue. In the meantime, we note that disputes on this topic have been going on for millennia. The oldest spiritual and metaphysical traditions have for centuries affirmed what Amit Goswami has reformulated: "Consciousness is the basis of all existence." Photons and neutrons are relatively recent in this debate. And their appearance on the bench of witnesses was a truly remarkable event.

As I understand it, the neorealist theory says: “We know that the quantum theory is wrong because we do not understand its paradoxes, and we are right because we think according to common sense. We have no doubt that sooner or later new knowledge will be acquired (hidden variable discovered) that will confirm our case.

This is reminiscent of the statement: “We know that Elvis is alive; it just hasn't been found yet."

When we comprehend the role of the observer, we can only bow before the mind that surpasses us, clothing this energy in the forms of reality that we have yet to dream of in this life. So far we feel it as chaos, but there is not the slightest doubt that there is order in it. He is above us. He is deeper.

— Ramtha

Integrity

Einstein's student David Bohm argued that quantum mechanics indicates that reality is an indivisible whole, where everything is interconnected at a deep level, beyond the usual boundaries in time and space. He put forward the idea of ​​the existence of some "hidden order" (implicate order), from which a certain "explicit order" (explicate order) (hidden, unregistered physical Universe) is born. It is the folding and unfolding of these orders that gives rise to a variety of phenomena. quantum world. From Bohm's vision of the nature of reality, the "holographic theory of the universe" was born. This theory was used by Karl Pribram and others to describe the brain and perception. In a recent conversation with Edgar Mitchell, Pribram opined that the Copenhagen interpretation is wrong and that quantum holography is a much more accurate model of reality.

And there is also me...

So far we have been talking mainly about the physical concept of the observer. But the word "observer" can also refer to each of us's most intimate sense of our own self. We have the feeling that there is an “observer” sitting somewhere inside, constantly looking at the world. It is sometimes described as "quiet inner voice”: in many spiritual teachings and practices, the word “observer” means the inexpressible innermost “I”, or the inner nature, which through observation influences the external ego.

Zen practice (to be constantly present in current moment and not allow yourself to be distracted by external activities) can also be described as an observer state.

Not surprisingly, the desire to connect this subjective observer with scientific term the "observer" is so powerful - especially when it seems that scientists are talking about it. Subject and object are closely related. But if our inner observer is experienced as something passive, scientists say that the observation is active. Observation entails certain physical effects.

And whether or not consciousness is the only factor involved, the mere fact that any dimension changes the physical system is a revelation. It turns out that we cannot extract any information from the system without changing physical properties this system.

How much does the observer influence the object of observation?

Good question! Here is what Fred Alan Wolf says:

You do not change the outer reality. You don't change the chairs, the trucks, the bulldozers, and the rockets taking off from the spaceport - you don't change them! Not! But you change your own perception of things, or perhaps your own thoughts about things, your own sense of things, your own sense of the world.

But why don't we change trucks and bulldozers and the environment? As Dr. Joe Dispenza says, "Because we have lost the power of observation." He believes that the idea of ​​quantum physics is very simple: observation has a direct effect on the observed world. This can encourage people to try to become better observers. Joe goes on to say:

The sub-atomic world reacts to observation from our side, but the average person keeps his attention on one thing for no more than 6-10 seconds ... (What is this nonsense? - H.B.) How can the vast world respond to the efforts of someone who is not even able to concentrate? Perhaps we are just poor observers. Perhaps we simply have not mastered the art of observation, because most likely this is precisely art...

We would need to sit at least a little every day and just observe, think about new possibilities for the future for ourselves. If we do this properly, if we observe properly, we will soon notice that new possibilities are being realized in our lives.

We have found that where science has advanced the furthest, the mind will receive from nature what it has put into it. We found strange footprints on the banks of the unknown. We have developed a number of profound theories to explain their origin. Finally, we managed to reconstruct the creature that left them. And - you must! These are our tracks.

— Sir Arthur Eddington

I always thought I was pretty cold-blooded. I seemed to have complete control over my emotions, reactions to people, places, things, times and events. Then, after listening to Fred Alan Wolf, John Hagelin, and other interviewees, I realized that I was nothing more than a ball bouncing off the walls of life. I'm just surprised I haven't broken my head yet! When I began to take a closer look at what was going on “inside” me and use it to change my perception of “outside” events, my life was filled with new opportunities. I have done and seen things that I never expected to see and do, time passes much more slowly for me, and thanks to this I have time to observe and choose - instead of reacting and regretting.

— Betsy

Change your daily reality

And now let's move from the subatomic level to the human level and ask: what is observation? For humans, the door to observation is perception. your perception. Do you remember from the previous chapters how questionable this process is? (“My light is a mirror, tell me who ... is the sweetest in the world?”) Says Amit Goswami:

Any observation can be perceived as a quantum measurement, because, as a result of a quantum measurement, we receive information that is deposited in the brain in the form of memories. These memories in the brain are activated whenever we experience a repeated stimulus. A repeated stimulus always evokes not only the very first impression, but the entire chain of secondary imprints in memory.

We always perceive something only after it is reflected in the mirror of memory. It is this reflection in the mirror of memory that gives us a sense of who and what "I" is - a construction from habits, from memories, from the past.

In other words:
Memories -> (past) - Perception -> Observation -> (impact on) Reality

Is it any wonder that systems such as A Course in Miracles emphasize the importance forgiveness as important factor helping to change the present? And remember the teaching of Christ: how much attention he paid to forgiveness. And as he said about perception: "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the beam in your eye?" And about the highest observation: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

We are all interested in how you can change your daily reality. If reality is only a reaction to questions, i.e., mindset, and each answer is at the end of a long chain of memories, sensations and observations, then we are no longer interested in the question of how to change reality, but rather, why we keep this reality the same. Answering this question is the key to change.

The problem of measurement is only a problem because it emphasizes our notion that we are outside the observable. But even the simplest measuring device interacts with the measured system and changes it. There is a fluidity to observable reality that seems to be at odds with the world of guaranteed morning coffee and rock-solid rockets. And yet it is a fundamental feature of the interaction of aspects of reality.

The key word here is "interaction". Or we could say - connection, or interlacing, or presence in one wave equation. This idea of ​​the primordial indivisibility of all things is repeatedly expressed by the advocates of quantum theory.

And who are we to argue with myriads of electrons?

“Who here can collapse particles with a look through eyelashes?” Not who - what. Everything!

But the question remains: it can only someone and something or also nobody and nothing mind, spirit, consciousness? And if so, aren't they as real as the objects that are collapsing? In the world of illusions, the division into “something” and “nothing” may turn out to be precisely the tone of the illusion on which all the rest are held.

“From the point of view of quantum mechanics, the universe is extremely interactive,” writes scientist Dan Winters in an article with the very provocative title “Does the universe exist when we are not looking at it?” In this article, he outlines the idea of ​​"creation through observation" formulated by Princeton University physicist John Wheeler. Wheeler (a colleague of Albert Einatein and Niels Bohr, and also the originator of the term " black hole”) said: “We are not just spectators in front of the space scene. We are the creators and inhabitants of the interactive Universe"

Think about it...

- Can you identify yourself as an observer if you are an observer?

Who or what is "I"?

Who or what is an observer?

Are you a separate entity from the world?

- Can you observe something inside yourself besides "I"?

- If you can become an observer in relation to your "I", how will this change your perception of reality?

If it takes an observer to create reality, how focused an observer are you? What reality are you creating in your current state of observation?

How long can you hold any thought?

Does reality exist when you don't observe it?

“If reality collapse requires an observer, what keeps our body intact while you sleep?”

Who or what is the observer then?

"The information underlying Iissiidiology is designed to radically change your entire current vision of the world, which, together with everything that is in it - from minerals, plants, animals and humans to distant Stars and Galaxies - is in fact an unimaginably complex and an extremely dynamic Illusion, no more real than your dream today."

1. Introduction

1. Introduction

According to modern concepts, the basis of all objects of classical reality is a quantum field. They arose from the earlier ideas about the classical Faraday-Maxwell field and crystallized in the process of creating the special theory of relativity. In this case, the field had to be considered not as a form of motion of any medium (ether), but specific form matter with very unusual properties. According to previous ideas, it was believed that the classical field, unlike particles, is continuously emitted and absorbed by charges, is not localized at specific points in space-time, but can propagate in it, transmitting a signal (interaction) from one particle to another with a finite speed, not exceeding the speed of light. It was assumed that the physical properties of the system exist on their own, that they are objective and do not depend on measurement . The measurement of one system does not affect the measurement result of the other system. This period in the history of science is usually called the period of local realism.

The emergence of quantum ideas in the minds of scientists at the beginning of the 20th century led to a revision of the classical ideas about the continuity of the mechanism of emission and absorption of light, and to the conclusion that these processes occur discretely - by emission and absorption of electromagnetic field quanta - photons, which was confirmed by the results experiments with a completely black body.

It was soon established that each individual elementary particle should be associated with a local field corresponding to the probability of detecting any of its specific states. Thus, in quantum mechanics, the parameters of each material particle were described by a certain probability. For the first time this probability was generalized by P. Dirac for the case with an electron, describing its wave function.

Recent interpretations of quantum mechanics have gone much further than this. Classical reality emerges from quantum reality in the presence of information exchange between objects. When there is enough information about such interaction between the participants, it becomes possible to talk about the elements of classical reality and distinguish the components of the superposition from each other. To "create" a classical reality, information about the interaction of all possible participants is enough to distinguish the components of the superposition among themselves.

All this leads me to a number of questions that still do not have scientific justification. They boil down to two main questions. Where do observers appear in quantum reality, the exchange of information between them initiates the appearance of classical reality during decoherence? What are their properties and features? It is in this perspective that I see the further semantic line of my reasoning. This will significantly expand the existing theoretical models of quantum mechanics and answer many unsolved problems of modern physics.

2. The role of the observer in quantum physics

Let's talk in more detail about the properties of the quantum world. One of the most amazing studies in the history of physics is the double-slit experiment with electron interference. The essence of the experiment is that the source emits an electron beam onto a light-sensitive screen. There is an obstacle in the way of these electrons in the form of a copper plate with two slots.

What picture can we expect to see on the screen, if electrons usually appear to us as small charged balls? Two stripes opposite slots in the plate. But in fact, a pattern of alternating white and black stripes appears on the screen. This is due to the fact that when passing through the slit, electrons begin to behave not only as particles, but also as waves (photons or other light particles that can be a wave at the same time behave in the same way).

These waves interact in space, colliding and reinforcing each other, and as a result, a complex interference pattern of alternating light and dark stripes is displayed on the screen. At the same time, the result of this experiment does not change even if the electrons pass singly—even one particle can be a wave and pass through two slits at the same time. This principle is fundamental in all interpretations of quantum mechanics, where particles can simultaneously exhibit their "ordinary" physical properties and exotic properties like a wave.

But what about the observer? It is he who makes this confusing story even more confusing. When physicists, during such experiments, tried to determine with the help of instruments through which slit the electron actually passes, the picture on the screen changed dramatically and became “classical”: with two illuminated stripes directly opposite the slits.

Particle interference experiments were carried out not only with electrons, but also with other, much larger objects. For example, fullerenes were used, large closed molecules consisting of several tens of carbon atoms. In 1999, a group of scientists from the University of Vienna, led by Professor Zeilinger, tried to include an element of observation in these experiments. To do this, they irradiated moving fullerene molecules with laser beams. Then, heated by an external source, the molecules began to glow and inevitably reveal their presence to the observer.

Before the start of such an observation, fullerenes quite successfully avoided obstacles (showing wave properties), similar to the previous example with electrons hitting the screen. But with the presence of an observer, fullerenes began to behave like completely law-abiding physical particles, that is, they exhibited corpuscular properties.

Accordingly, if someone surrounded Zeilinger's installation with perfect photon detectors, then he, in principle, could establish on which of the slits of the diffraction grating the fullerene was scattered. Although there were no detectors around the installation, their role was able to fulfill the environment. It recorded information about the trajectory and the state of the fullerene molecule. Thus, it is fundamentally not important through what information is exchanged: through a specially installed detector, the environment or a person. For the destruction of coherence and the disappearance of the interference pattern, if there is information through which of the slits the particle passed, it does not matter who receives it. If this whole system of forms, including atoms and molecules, actively participates in information exchange, I do not see a fundamental difference between them and the consciousness of a person as an observer.

Recent experiments by Prof. Schwab from the USA make a very valuable contribution to this field. Quantum effects in these experiments were demonstrated not at the level of electrons or fullerene molecules (which have an approximate diameter of 1 nm), but on larger objects - a tiny aluminum ribbon. This tape was fixed on both sides so that its middle was suspended and could vibrate under external influence. In addition, a device capable of accurately recording the position of the tape was placed nearby. As a result of the experiment, several interesting points were discovered. Firstly, any measurement related to the position of the object and observation of the tape affected it - after each measurement, the position of the tape changed.

Secondly, some measurements led to the cooling of the tape. Surely there may be several different explanations for these effects, but so far scientists suggest that it is the observer who can influence physical characteristics objects by their mere presence. Incredible! But the results of the next experiment are even more unlikely.

The quantum Zeno effect, a metrological paradox of quantum physics, which consists in the fact that the decay time of a metastable quantum state of a certain system directly depends on the frequency of measuring its state, was experimentally confirmed at the end of 1989 by David Wineland and his group in National Institute standards and technologies (Boulder, USA). Metastable states in quantum systems are a state with a lifetime much longer than the characteristic lifetime of excited states atomic system. It turns out that the probability of decay of a metastable quantum system may depend on the frequency of measurements of its state, and in the limiting case, an unstable particle, under conditions of more frequent observation of it, will never decay. In this case, the probability can either decrease (the so-called direct Zeno effect) or increase (the inverse Zeno effect). These two effects are not exhaustive. options behavior of a quantum system. A specially selected series of observations can lead to the fact that the decay probability behaves like a divergent series, that is, it is not actually determined.

What lies behind this mysterious process of observation? Everything more people approach the realization that the observed reality is based on a non-localized and incomprehensible quantum reality, which becomes localized and “visible” in the course of the exchange of information between all its observers. Each observer of quantum reality, starting from an atom, continuing with a person and ending with a cluster of galaxies, contributes to its local decoherence. The fact that matter can observe itself, which was demonstrated by Zeilinger's experiment, and at the same time change the physical parameters of reality, which was shown in Schwab's experiments, makes me think that every object of the surrounding reality is endowed with consciousness. Behind the process of observation lies nothing but consciousness. All material objects, including atoms and photons, have consciousness. This is the starting point of my further reasoning, which is confirmed and further substantiated in iissiidiology. I invite you to analyze them in the next chapter.

3. Quantum effect of Consciousness

What follows is a simplified projection of the quantum properties listed above onto our understanding of the classical world. Imagine an infinite electromagnetic field propagating in all directions from a radiation source. Remember that somewhere in the laboratory, scientists placed a plate with two slits in the path of this radiation. As soon as they bring a measuring device to the plate, the wave locally turns into a stream of individual particles. When the device is removed, the flow of individual particles again merges into radiation, and the interference pattern can again be observed on the screen. The same effect is observed during extreme cooling of some atoms of a substance (there is a leveling of thermal - electromagnetic interaction between them) during the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate - a group of atoms merges together and the opportunity to talk about each of them separately is lost. In the first case, the system is not concretized and exhibits wave properties; in the second case, it acquires the effect of corpuscular manifestation in accordance with the information that begins to specifically interest us. In fairness, it should be noted that all this is a very simplified scheme from the point of view of modern quantum physics, because the electromagnetic wave itself is a material object, in whatever form it is expressed - particles or waves.

The above figure shows a different quality reflection of reality: state1-state-2-state-3. Our own consciousness and perceptual system is a typical observer with a very handicapped perception, which is reflected in our set of ideas about ourselves and the world around us. Unlike ultra-precise measuring devices operating on superconductors, for example, the speed of our observation of objects of the surrounding reality is severely limited by the capabilities of the bioelectrical dynamics of neural circuits. The information received by our organs of perception about what is happening on the slits of the copper plate is clearly not enough to locally suppress the effect of photon interference, which creates a physically real illusion of an interference pattern in front of us. For another type of observer, such as a bird, interference may be absent at a given point in space, which gives me reason to call it an illusion, which is physically real only for a local observer.

By increasing the informativeness of the cognitive process, we literally expand the cognizable boundaries of our physical reality. One of comparative characteristics its information saturation may be the frequency of observation. For example, the sensitivity of our visual observation of the system without a detector is much lower, and we get very little information for analysis. On the other hand, more energetically saturated (high-frequency) radiations manifest themselves differently in the system of our perception (or do not manifest themselves at all), interacting more actively with the environment. If we generalize the above facts, it turns out that matter can be represented as a derivative of Information. For individual observers limited to different circles information exchange, one and the same matter (electron wave function) can have both dense-material and transparent (non-material) expressions.

4. Information concept of Consciousness

As already mentioned, the classical world arises as a result of the exchange of information between all participants in quantum reality. What is the nature of these participants? There is a theory according to which different-quality foci (quanta) of information are the basis of everything. In the key to further discussions on my topic, I consider it appropriate to dwell on some of the ideas of this concept, which are better to learn more deeply from the original source.

So, the effect of our awareness of ourselves in the surrounding world is based on the sequence of our reprojections between specific states - focuses of interest. This is accompanied by a loss of consciousness in the previous concrete world and an instant awareness of oneself as part of the next one. physical world, which differs from the previous one by one conditional information quantum. In this case, the spatial, energy, thermodynamic and other ratios of parameters within the system of classical objects change.

What makes us constantly change our state? All Focuses of information carry an internal tensority - a tension that tends to annihilate due to the exchange of excess potentials. By analogy with the physics of the unstable atomic nucleus each focus has a kind of "half-life" period, in which there is an expenditure of energy necessary to annihilate the qualitative difference of information. Energy is obtained from the potential difference between the information foci and is spent on its balancing.

What determines the "size" of a quantum of information? The process of observation, which, as noted, occurs due to the continuous reprojection between individual foci (quanta) of information, is identified in iissiidiology with the synthesis of information of different quality into a new qualitative state that combines the features of the previous ones. Each act of synthesis is expressed by the consumption of energy necessary for the resonant collapse of the qualitative difference between information. The more energy the observer manipulates, the more different-quality information is synthesized in each next focus of his observation. This principle is well demonstrated by the example of an increase in the energy intensity of the processes occurring in chemical and nuclear reactions during annihilation. The degree of synthesizing determines the size of the quantum of information observed by the focus of self-consciousness. Every moment it irreversibly grows and only grows, but with different intensity.

How do observers of different "size" relate to each other? The most universal quantum (focus) of information is the photon, which has the maximum balance (the minimum voltage potential) relative to a given local group of quantum reality participants. This indirectly answers the question why a photon always exists at the speed of light and has no rest mass. He is not burdened with the energy of dissonance in relation to the surrounding world. The photon is, as it were, the "universal currency" of information interaction. This would continue indefinitely if, as we balance the tensor (decoherent) part of our foci in the process of information exchange, we ourselves did not become more universal in the possibilities of interactions of different qualities. The more heterogeneous information becomes synthesized in each of our focus of observation, the wider the range of qualitative compatibility opens up for our interaction. Inevitably, there comes a moment when even more universal particles begin to play the role of "universal currency", opening up opportunities for more intensive information interactions with previously unknown focuses of self-consciousness. This is immediately reflected in a radical change in all physical constants and properties of space-time.

Sometimes, for convenience of presentation, the author of iissiidiology characterizes the dynamics of differently synthesized observers (foci) as having different frequencies. There are many different levels of information foci that interact with each other in other modes of manifestation. We do not have time to instantly form a holistic impression of such objects, that is, to distinguish them from other participants in the superposition. The cognitive process of such observers operates every moment with a much larger amount of information than we do, and is carried out on the basis of other information carriers. Therefore, they seem to fall out of our reality as objects of observation. For example, only the atomic and molecular "shells" of stars and planets remain accessible to our perception, in contrast to their inner essence(consciousness). That is, according to iissiidiology, any phenomenon in space has consciousness on different levels, starting from atoms, continuing with a person, ending with stars and galaxies. We are not able to interact with the consciousness of the planet because of the too different volume of energy-information interconnections that structure each step of our relationship with the surrounding reality.

Photons provide information exchange in the range of existence, which we used to call "our 3-dimensional universe". Inside it, there are both the "ordinary" type of photon, and transitional to the outer and inner "boundaries" of the electromagnetic spectrum - ernilmanent and phrasal, which has yet to be experimentally determined. Outside the electromagnetic spectrum, in infinitely short and infinitely long waves, the photon is replaced by information carriers of other orders, generating for its observers what we would call respectively 2-dimensional and 4-dimensional universes with their own frequency "borders". This gradation continues further to infinity. All this infinity of tricks of information merges for us into the indistinguishability of a "cosmic" superposition of some energy-plasma that defies any description.

Brief correspondence table physical concepts in iissiidiology:

Observer- Focus of Self-awareness

Quantum- informational delta between two conventionally taken foci of self-consciousness, usually between the current and the next.

Energy- the equivalent of the action necessary for the annihilation of the informational delta between two conventionally taken foci of self-consciousness - for their synthesis.

Synthesis- resonant collapse of different-quality foci of information according to individual features into a new qualitative state.

Frequency- information capacity, synthesized quantum of information.

5. Conclusion

In my work, I first of all tried to show that ideas about the objective, quantum-mechanical nature of the universe, in which everything exists autonomously, without initiative, uniformly, closed in relation to everything else, can become a thing of the past very soon. In this regard, such fundamental phenomena of our life as the origin of matter, the nature of energy and quantum field will no longer be just empirical observations and will be able to get their deeper justification thanks to the latest ideas of iissiidiology and other similar progressive research areas. For example, each object of quantum reality, as an observer, can be endowed with a focus of self-consciousness, striving to balance its internal tensority. Energy can be defined as a general quantitative equivalent of information interaction between different foci of self-consciousness, providing their focal dynamics with the opportunity to realize some resonant effects of manifestation, which we subjectively interpret as “materiality of varying degrees of density”. Watchers" varying degrees densities" are closely interconnected by common ranges of manifestation, and mutually ensure the manifestation of each other from a superposition in specific physical conditions. The focus of one's self-consciousness can be actively shifted in a wide range of interests, directly recreating the necessary surrounding reality.

One of the specific conclusions that follows from the presented material is that by changing the qualitative parameters of one's own consciousness, one can observe a change in the frequency electromagnetic radiation or the mass of an elementary particle, without directly affecting them in any way. Now we can only reproduce the opposite effect by purposefully changing the parameters of relativistic particles, locally creating the necessary conditions and providing them with external energy.

The following practical conclusion on my article leads to the fact that the interpretation of the facts of the appearance or disappearance of any objects in the focus of our perception is subject to a radical change. We and the devices we have created are constantly entering and exiting the zone of qualitative compatibility with many objects of quantum reality, observing the birth and death of the projections of these objects: people, animals, microorganisms, civilizations, planets and stars. Having learned the transcendental mechanisms of shifting our own focus of self-consciousness among other objects of quantum reality, we will be able to create any matter at our discretion just from light and information. According to the predictions of the author of the concept of iissiidiology, a special installation from the group of electromagnetic generators is able to recreate in its focus the effect of the appearance of any three-dimensional object. As the radiation frequency increases, the object will gradually become denser. There are already analogues of this technology, they make air molecules glow in a given volume of space. In the future, when the radiation is accelerated to 270-280 pulses, the object will acquire a density-material expression. It will be impossible to move it or damage it if this action is not provided by the director of this scene.

Summing up the article, I believe that I managed to describe the most useful ideas about the possible properties and features of quantum observers. As for the origin of the observers themselves, there is simply no answer to this question. It is only clear that out of their hypothetically infinite set, each time we directly deal only with a certain local range of quantum objects. It is the boundaries of this range - the quality and quantity of the foci of self-consciousness included in it - that completely determine the exact conditions and parameters of our physical manifestation, forming the classical world where we now recognize ourselves. And the current transcendental parameters of our self-consciousness, in turn, completely determine the boundaries of the range of our possible interaction with other objects of the quantum world.

In my work, I look forward to the time of the emergence of the “Theory of Universal Unification”, which will finally link all the Forces of Nature, macrocosm and microcosm, open up completely new concepts of the interaction of Space-Time, give the key to the main questions of quantum gravity and cosmology. This will cause a deep split in scientific circles, since such metaphysical consequences flow from this theory that will be unacceptable to many inveterate materialists. The discovery of this theory will require not another attempt to sweeten the pill of old, accumulated knowledge, but a fundamental intellectual revolution in the minds and in the ideas of many scientists about space and time, about energy and matter, about decoherence and superposition. As shown in my work, this process is already in full swing in open minds the most inquisitive and broad-minded seekers of truth who are not tied to the dogmatic ideas of past years. The space around them is rapidly changing along with their consciousnesses. The time is coming for each reader to more specifically determine in what capacity of the space-time continuum it is more interesting for him to continue his life creativity: the former limited or the decisively new one.

Zurek W.H. Decoherence and the Transition from Quantum to Classical. http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/quant-ph/0306072.

A review is devoted to the current state and conceptual issues of quantum theory: Zurek W. H. Decoherence, einselection, and the quantum origins of the classical // Rev. Mod. Phys. 75, 715 (2003). An archived version can be freely downloaded: http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/quant-ph/0105127.

Joos E., Zeh H. D., Kiefer C. et al. Decoherence and the Appearance of a Classical World in Quantum Theory (Springer-Verlag 2003). See also the website of the authors of this book: http://www.decoherence.de.

W. M. Itano; D.J.Heinsen, J.J.Bokkinger, D.J.Wineland (1990). Quantum Zeno effect. PRA 41 (5): 2295-2300. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevA.41.2295. Bibcode:1990PhRvA..41.2295I.

http://arxiv.org/abs/0908.1301

Pool R., Quantum Pot Watching: A test of how observation affects a quantum system verifies theoretical predictions and proves the truth of an old maxim. Science. November 1989. V. 246. P. 888.

Oris O.V., "IISSIIDIOLOGY", Volume 1-15,

Oris O.V., "IISSIIDIOLOGIA", Volume 15, Publisher: JSC "Tatmedia", Kazan, 2012 item 15.17771

The golden foliage of the trees shone brightly. The rays of the evening sun touched the thinned tops. Light broke through the branches and staged a spectacle of bizarre figures flickering on the wall of the university "kapterka".

Sir Hamilton's pensive gaze moved slowly, watching the play of chiaroscuro. In the head of the Irish mathematician there was a real melting pot of thoughts, ideas and conclusions. He was well aware that the explanation of many phenomena with the help of Newtonian mechanics is like the play of shadows on the wall, deceptively intertwining figures and leaving many questions unanswered. “Maybe it's a wave… or maybe it's a stream of particles,” the scientist mused, “or light is a manifestation of both phenomena. Like figures woven from shadow and light.

The beginning of quantum physics

It is interesting to watch great people and try to understand how great ideas are born that change the course of evolution of all mankind. Hamilton is one of those who stood at the origins of quantum physics. Fifty years later, at the beginning of the twentieth century, many scientists were engaged in the study of elementary particles. The knowledge gained was inconsistent and uncompiled. However, the first shaky steps were taken.

Understanding the microworld at the beginning of the 20th century

In 1901, the first model of the atom was presented and its failure was shown, from the standpoint of ordinary electrodynamics. During the same period, Max Planck and Niels Bohr published many works on the nature of the atom. Despite their painstaking work, there was no complete understanding of the structure of the atom.

A few years later, in 1905, the little-known German scientist Albert Einstein published a report on the possibility of the existence of a light quantum in two states - wave and corpuscular (particles). In his work, arguments were given explaining the reason for the failure of the model. However, Einstein's vision was limited by the old understanding of the model of the atom.

After numerous works by Niels Bohr and his colleagues in 1925, a new direction was born - a kind of quantum mechanics. A common expression - "quantum mechanics" appeared thirty years later.

What do we know about quanta and their quirks?

Today, quantum physics has gone far enough. Many different phenomena have been discovered. But what do we really know? The answer is presented by one modern scientist. "One can either believe in quantum physics or not understand it," is the definition. Think about it for yourself. It will suffice to mention such a phenomenon as quantum entanglement of particles. This phenomenon has plunged the scientific world into a position of complete bewilderment. Even more shocking was that the resulting paradox is incompatible with Einstein.

The effect of quantum entanglement of photons was first discussed in 1927 at the fifth Solvay Congress. A heated argument arose between Niels Bohr and Einstein. The paradox of quantum entanglement has completely changed the understanding of the essence of the material world.

It is known that all bodies consist of elementary particles. Accordingly, all the phenomena of quantum mechanics are reflected in the ordinary world. Niels Bohr said that if we do not look at the moon, then it does not exist. Einstein considered this unreasonable and believed that the object exists independently of the observer.

When studying the problems of quantum mechanics, one should understand that its mechanisms and laws are interconnected and do not obey classical physics. Let's try to understand the most controversial area - the quantum entanglement of particles.

The theory of quantum entanglement

To begin with, it is worth understanding that quantum physics is like a bottomless well in which you can find anything you want. The phenomenon of quantum entanglement at the beginning of the last century was studied by Einstein, Bohr, Maxwell, Boyle, Bell, Planck and many other physicists. Throughout the twentieth century, thousands of scientists around the world actively studied it and experimented.

The world is subject to the strict laws of physics

Why such an interest in the paradoxes of quantum mechanics? Everything is very simple: we live, obeying certain laws of the physical world. The ability to “bypass” predestination opens a magical door behind which everything becomes possible. For example, the concept of "Schrödinger's Cat" leads to the control of matter. It will also become possible to teleport information, which causes quantum entanglement. The transmission of information will become instantaneous, regardless of distance.
This issue is still under study, but has a positive trend.

Analogy and understanding

What is unique about quantum entanglement, how to understand it, and what happens with it? Let's try to figure it out. This will require some thought experiment. Imagine that you have two boxes in your hands. Each of them contains one ball with a stripe. Now we give one box to the astronaut, and he flies to Mars. As soon as you open the box and see that the stripe on the ball is horizontal, then in the other box the ball will automatically have a vertical stripe. This will be quantum entanglement. in simple words pronounced: one object predetermines the position of another.

However, it should be understood that this is only a superficial explanation. In order to get quantum entanglement, it is necessary that the particles have the same origin, like twins.

It is very important to understand that the experiment will be disrupted if someone before you had the opportunity to look at at least one of the objects.

Where can quantum entanglement be used?

The principle of quantum entanglement can be used to transmit information over long distances instantly. Such a conclusion contradicts Einstein's theory of relativity. She says that maximum speed movement is inherent only in light - three hundred thousand kilometers per second. Such transfer of information makes possible the existence of physical teleportation.

Everything in the world is information, including matter. Quantum physicists came to this conclusion. In 2008, based on a theoretical database, it was possible to see quantum entanglement with the naked eye.

This once again indicates that we are on the verge of great discoveries - movement in space and time. Time in the Universe is discrete, so instantaneous movement over vast distances makes it possible to get into different density time (based on the hypotheses of Einstein, Bohr). Maybe in the future it will be a reality just like mobile phone today.

Aether dynamics and quantum entanglement

According to some leading scientists, quantum entanglement is explained by the fact that space is filled with some kind of ether - black matter. Any elementary particle, as we know, exists in the form of a wave and a corpuscle (particle). Some scientists believe that all particles are on the "canvas" of dark energy. This is not easy to understand. Let's try to figure it out in another way - the association method.

Imagine yourself at the seaside. Light breeze and a slight breeze. See the waves? And somewhere in the distance, in the reflections of the rays of the sun, a sailboat is visible.
The ship will be our elementary particle, and the sea - ether ( dark energy).
The sea can be in motion in the form of visible waves and drops of water. In the same way, all elementary particles can be just a sea (its integral part) or a separate particle - a drop.

This is simplified example, everything is somewhat more complicated. Particles without the presence of an observer are in the form of a wave and do not have a specific location.

The white sailboat is a distinguished object, it differs from the surface and structure of the sea water. In the same way, there are "peaks" in the ocean of energy that we can perceive as a manifestation of the forces known to us that have shaped the material part of the world.

The microworld lives by its own laws

The principle of quantum entanglement can be understood if we take into account the fact that elementary particles are in the form of waves. Without a specific location and characteristics, both particles are in an ocean of energy. At the moment the observer appears, the wave “turns” into an object accessible to touch. The second particle, observing the system of equilibrium, acquires opposite properties.

The described article is not aimed at capacious scientific descriptions quantum world. The ability to comprehend an ordinary person is based on the availability of understanding of the material presented.

Physics of elementary particles studies the entanglement of quantum states based on the spin (rotation) of an elementary particle.

In scientific language (simplified) - quantum entanglement is defined by different spins. In the process of observing objects, scientists saw that only two spins can exist - along and across. Oddly enough, in other positions, the particles do not “pose” to the observer.

New hypothesis - a new view of the world

The study of the microcosm - the space of elementary particles - gave rise to many hypotheses and assumptions. The effect of quantum entanglement prompted scientists to think about the existence of some kind of quantum microlattice. In their opinion, at each node - the point of intersection - there is a quantum. All energy is an integral lattice, and the manifestation and movement of particles is possible only through the nodes of the lattice.

The size of the "window" of such a grating is quite small, and the measurement modern equipment impossible. However, in order to confirm or refute this hypothesis, scientists decided to study the motion of photons in a spatial quantum lattice. The bottom line is that a photon can move either straight or in zigzags - along the diagonal of the lattice. In the second case, having overcome a greater distance, he will spend more energy. Accordingly, it will differ from a photon moving in a straight line.

Perhaps, over time, we will learn that we live in a spatial quantum grid. Or this assumption may be wrong. However, it is the principle of quantum entanglement that indicates the possibility of the existence of a lattice.

In simple terms, in a hypothetical spatial “cube”, the definition of one facet carries with it a clear opposite meaning of the other. This is the principle of preserving the structure of space - time.

Epilogue

To understand the magical and mysterious world of quantum physics, it is worth taking a close look at the development of science over the past five hundred years. It used to be that the Earth was flat, not spherical. The reason is obvious: if you take its shape as round, then water and people will not be able to resist.

As we can see, the problem existed in the absence of a complete vision of all active forces. It is possible that modern science to understand quantum physics, it is not enough to see all the acting forces. Vision gaps give rise to a system of contradictions and paradoxes. Perhaps the magical world of quantum mechanics contains the answers to the questions posed.

Nobody in the world understands quantum mechanics - this is the main thing you need to know about it. Yes, many physicists have learned to use its laws and even predict phenomena using quantum calculations. But it is still unclear why the presence of an observer determines the fate of the system and forces it to make a choice in favor of one state. "Theories and Practices" selected examples of experiments, the outcome of which is inevitably influenced by the observer, and tried to figure out what quantum mechanics is going to do with such interference of consciousness in material reality.

Shroedinger `s cat

Today there are many interpretations of quantum mechanics, the most popular of which remains the Copenhagen one. Its main provisions were formulated in the 1920s by Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. And the central term of the Copenhagen interpretation was the wave function - a mathematical function that contains information about all possible states of a quantum system in which it simultaneously resides.

According to the Copenhagen interpretation, only observation can accurately determine the state of the system, distinguish it from the rest (the wave function only helps to mathematically calculate the probability of detecting the system in a particular state). We can say that after observation, a quantum system becomes classical: it instantly ceases to coexist in many states at once in favor of one of them.

This approach has always had opponents (remember, for example, “God does not play dice” by Albert Einstein), but the accuracy of calculations and predictions took its toll. However, in recent times There are fewer and fewer supporters of the Copenhagen interpretation, and not the least reason for this is the very mysterious instantaneous collapse of the wave function during measurement. Erwin Schrödinger's famous thought experiment with the poor cat was just designed to show the absurdity of this phenomenon.

So, we recall the content of the experiment. A live cat, an ampoule of poison and some mechanism that can set the poison into action at a random moment are placed in a black box. For example, one radioactive atom, the decay of which will break the ampoule. Exact time the decay of the atom is unknown. Only the half-life is known: the time during which the decay will occur with a probability of 50%.

It turns out that for an external observer, the cat inside the box exists in two states at once: it is either alive, if everything goes well, or dead, if the decay has occurred and the ampoule has broken. Both of these states are described by the cat's wave function, which changes over time: the farther, the more likely it is that radioactive decay has already happened. But as soon as the box is opened, the wave function collapses and we immediately see the outcome of the flayer experiment.

It turns out that until the observer opens the box, the cat will forever balance on the border between life and death, and only the observer's action will determine his fate. This is the absurdity that Schrödinger pointed out.

Electron diffraction

According to a survey of leading physicists conducted by The New York Times, the experiment with electron diffraction, set in 1961 by Klaus Jenson, became one of the most beautiful in the history of science. What is its essence?

There is a source that emits a stream of electrons towards the screen-photographic plate. And there is an obstacle in the way of these electrons - a copper plate with two slits. What kind of picture on the screen can be expected if we represent electrons as just small charged balls? Two illuminated bands opposite the slits.

In reality, a much more complex pattern of alternating black and white stripes appears on the screen. The fact is that when passing through the slits, electrons begin to behave not like particles, but like waves (just like photons, particles of light, can simultaneously be waves). Then these waves interact in space, somewhere weakening, and somewhere strengthening each other, and as a result, a complex picture of alternating light and dark stripes appears on the screen.

In this case, the result of the experiment does not change, and if electrons are passed through the slit not in a continuous stream, but one by one, even one particle can simultaneously be a wave. Even one electron can pass through two slits at the same time (and this is another of the important provisions of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics - objects can simultaneously display both their "usual" material properties and exotic wave properties).

But what about the observer? Despite the fact that with him the already complicated story became even more complicated. When, in such experiments, physicists tried to fix with the help of instruments through which slit the electron actually passes, the picture on the screen changed dramatically and became “classical”: two illuminated areas opposite the slits and no alternating stripes.

The electrons did not seem to want to show their wave nature under the watchful eye of an observer. Adjusted to his instinctive desire to see a simple and understandable picture. Mystic? There is a much simpler explanation: no observation of the system can be carried out without physical impact on it. But we will return to this a little later.

Heated fullerene

Experiments on particle diffraction were carried out not only on electrons, but also on where large objects. For example, fullerenes are large, closed molecules composed of tens of carbon atoms (for example, a fullerene of sixty carbon atoms is very similar in shape to a soccer ball: a hollow sphere sewn from five- and hexagons).

Recently a group at the University of Vienna, led by Professor Zeilinger, has tried to introduce an element of observation into such experiments. To do this, they irradiated moving fullerene molecules with a laser beam. After that, heated by an external influence, the molecules began to glow and thus inevitably revealed their place in space for the observer.

Along with this innovation, the behavior of molecules has also changed. Before the start of total surveillance, fullerenes quite successfully went around obstacles (showed wave properties) like electrons from the previous example passing through an opaque screen. But later, with the advent of the observer, the fullerenes calmed down and began to behave like completely law-abiding particles of matter.

Cooling dimension

One of the most famous laws of the quantum world is the Heisenberg uncertainty principle: it is impossible to simultaneously determine the position and speed of a quantum object. The more accurately we measure the momentum of a particle, the less accurately we can measure its position. But action quantum laws, working at the level of tiny particles, is usually imperceptible in our world of large macro objects.

Therefore, the recent experiments of the group of Professor Schwab from the USA are all the more valuable, in which quantum effects were demonstrated not at the level of the same electrons or fullerene molecules (their characteristic diameter is about 1 nm), but on a slightly more tangible object - a tiny aluminum strip.

This strip was fixed on both sides so that its middle was in a suspended state and could vibrate under external influence. In addition, next to the strip was a device capable of high precision register her position.

As a result, the experimenters found two interesting effect. Firstly, any measurement of the position of the object, observation of the strip did not pass without a trace for it - after each measurement, the position of the strip changed. Roughly speaking, the experimenters determined the coordinates of the strip with great accuracy and thereby, according to the Heisenberg principle, changed its speed, and hence the subsequent position.

Secondly, which is already quite unexpected, some measurements also led to cooling of the strip. It turns out that the observer can only change the physical characteristics of objects by his presence. It sounds absolutely incredible, but to the credit of the physicists, let's say that they were not at a loss - now Professor Schwab's group is thinking how to apply the discovered effect to cooling electronic circuits.

Freezing particles

As you know, unstable radioactive particles decay in the world not only for the sake of experiments on cats, but also quite by themselves. Moreover, each particle is characterized by an average lifetime, which, it turns out, can increase under the gaze of an observer.

This quantum effect was first predicted back in the 1960s, and its brilliant experimental confirmation appeared in a paper published in 2006 by the group of Nobel laureate in physics Wolfgang Ketterle from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In this work, we studied the decay of unstable excited rubidium atoms (decay into rubidium atoms in the ground state and photons). Immediately after the preparation of the system, the excitation of atoms began to be observed - they were illuminated by a laser beam. In this case, the observation was carried out in two modes: continuous (small light pulses are constantly fed into the system) and pulsed (the system is irradiated with more powerful pulses from time to time).

The results obtained are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions. External light effects really slow down the decay of particles, as if returning them to their original, far from decay state. In this case, the magnitude of the effect for the two studied regimes also coincides with the predictions. And the maximum life of unstable excited rubidium atoms was extended by 30 times.

Quantum mechanics and consciousness

Electrons and fullerenes cease to show their wave properties, aluminum plates cool down, and unstable particles freeze in their decay: under the omnipotent gaze of an observer, the world is changing. What is not evidence of the involvement of our mind in the work of the world around? So maybe Carl Jung and Wolfgang Pauli (Austrian physicist, Nobel laureate, one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics) were right when they said that the laws of physics and consciousness should be considered as complementary?

But so there is only one step left to the duty recognition: the whole world around is the essence of our mind. Creepy? (“Do you really think that the Moon exists only when you look at it?” Einstein commented on the principles of quantum mechanics). Then let's try again to turn to physicists. Moreover, in recent years they are less and less pleased with the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics with its mysterious collapse of a function wave, which is being replaced by another, quite mundane and reliable term - decoherence.

Here's the thing - in all the described experiments with observation, the experimenters inevitably influenced the system. It was illuminated with a laser, measuring instruments were installed. And this is a general, very important principle: you cannot observe a system, measure its properties without interacting with it. And where there is interaction, there is a change in properties. Especially when colossus of quantum objects interact with a tiny quantum system. So the eternal, Buddhist neutrality of the observer is impossible.

This is exactly what explains the term "decoherence" - an irreversible process from the point of view of violating the quantum properties of a system when it interacts with another, major system. During such an interaction, the quantum system loses its original features and becomes classical, "obeys" the large system. This explains the paradox with Schrödinger's cat: the cat is so big system that it simply cannot be isolated from the world. The very setting of the thought experiment is not entirely correct.

In any case, compared to reality as an act of creation of consciousness, decoherence sounds much more calm. Maybe even too calm. After all, with this approach, the entire classical world becomes one big decoherence effect. And according to the authors of one of the most serious books in this field, statements like “there are no particles in the world” or “there is no time at a fundamental level” also logically follow from such approaches.

Creative observer or omnipotent decoherence? You have to choose between two evils. But remember - now scientists are becoming more and more convinced that at the heart of our thought processes lie those notorious quantum effects. So where observation ends and reality begins - each of us has to choose.

Namely, in the post Random Science: how the quantum Zeno effect stops time, which describes the Zeno effect from quantum physics. It lies in the fact that if you observe a decaying (or radioactive) atom with a certain frequency (or the so-called probability of an event, and when calculating the probability, only limited binary logic is immediately included - yes or no), then the atom may not decay almost indefinitely - until you watch him and how much you have enough. Experiments were carried out, data were confirmed - indeed, the original atoms, which scientists "observed" with a certain frequency (or probability) - did not decay. Why is the word "observed" in quotation marks? Answer under the cut along with the post lana_artifex and my comments on it.

Eleatic Zeno is a Greek philosopher who suggested that if time is divided into many separate parts, then the world will freeze. It turned out that Zeno was right when it comes to quantum mechanics. He did this by offering a series of paradoxes, among which was the proof that nothing ever moves. And in the case of this paradox, scientists only in 1977 were able to catch up with Zeno's crazy ideas.

Physicists from the University of Texas - D. Sudarashan and B. Mishra, offered evidence of the Zeno effect, showing that it is possible to stop the decay of an atom simply by observing it often enough.

The official name of modern scientific theory is the quantum Zeno effect, and it is based on the rather famous Arrow Paradox. The arrow flies in the air. Her flight is a series of states. The state is determined by the shortest possible time interval. At any moment of the state, the arrow is stationary. If it were not stationary, then there would be two states, one in which the arrow is in the first position, the second where the arrow is in the second position. This causes a problem. There is no other way to describe a state, but if time is made up of many states and the arrow does not move in any of them, then the arrow cannot move at all.

This idea of ​​shortening the time between observations of movements interested two physicists. They realized that the decay of some atoms could be manipulated using the Arrow Paradox. The sodium atom, which is not under observation, has the potential to decay, at least from our point of view, this atom is in a state of superposition. He both decomposed, and not. You can't check until no one is looking at it. When this happens, the atom goes into one of two states. It's like flipping a coin, 50/50 chance that the atom has decayed. At a certain point in time, after it has gone into a state of superposition, there is a greater chance that it has not disintegrated when observed. At other times, on the contrary, it will rather fall apart.

Let us assume that the atom rather decayed after three seconds, but it is unlikely that it decayed after one. If you check after three seconds, then the atom is more likely to be decomposed. However, Mishra and Sudarashan suggest that if an atom is checked three times per second, then the probability that it will not decay increases. At first glance, it sounds like complete nonsense, but that's exactly what happens. The researchers observed the atoms: depending on the frequency of measurements, they increased or decreased the chance of decay than in the case of the usual situation.

The "improved" decay is the result of the quantum anti-Zeno effect. By adjusting the measurement frequency correctly, the system can be made to decay faster or slower. Zeno was right. We can really stop the world, the main thing is to learn to look at it correctly. At the same time, we can lead to its destruction if we are not careful.

My comments on the post:

kactaheda
Bring up interesting topics. Is there any information, by chance, with the help of which the atom was observed?
"A sodium atom that is not under observation has the potential to decay, at least from our point of view, this atom is in a state of superposition"

lana_artifex
I raise certain topics at the level of a public blog, discuss them with my circle of friends and do not develop them further - let them remain at the level of science in the blog, not everyone will understand these topics in their development. There is no such information, but how you read minds - there is an opportunity to request information on this issue from the author, which has already been done, so far without an answer

kactaheda
Don't bother - I'll try to answer you myself :) Are you not the author of this blog?
So, what is the process of observation in quantum physics? Classically, this is the moment of registration of a certain particle in space. But let's move on. We observe not with our eyes and not with a camera, but ... also with particles. In the classic two-slit experiment, the passage of an electron through one of the slits is observed using photons. It turns out a funny thing - the observing photons, as it were, shoot down the passing electrons. But there is one more interesting point- that electrons, that photons are electromagnetic waves propagating in a medium (let's call it ether, as it is more familiar to me, or a field, physical vacuum, as modern scientists call it) at the speed of light. That is, some waves interfere with others, and orthogonally - that is, perpendicular to the directions of propagation of each other. With such observation of electrons by photons, an electron, being a wave, cannot interfere with itself, creating a spectral pattern on the screen from maxima and minima, but flies, as it were, through only one slot - which is visible as a single strip on the screen.

So, based on all this, we can conclude that by "bombarding" the decaying sodium atom with other observational particles, in this experiment they simply constantly try to maintain its stable state, adding energy in portions - at each moment of observation.

lana_artifex
Thank you, I get the point!

lana_artifex
The topic of the Zeno effect was raised as a philosophical lead to the next post about the painting, and the readings of the Zeno effect themselves are already more esoteric, in the best sense of the word.

kactaheda
Yes, this is exactly what is said in esotericism - our thoughts (being electromagnetic waves) affect other electromagnetic waves that make up the whole World - down to the smallest atom, proton, muon and any possible boson :) And such particles can be discovered billions - for example, a piece of God in the tank :)
So I returned to my first post in LiveJournal - about the Observer in quantum physics ... Only now I have scientific explanation miracles.