One World, One Reality, and the Everett Relaltive State Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

TL;DR

This paper proposes a modified interpretation of quantum mechanics that eliminates the many-worlds aspect, asserting a single, real outcome per measurement while maintaining a deterministic evolution of the universe's amplitudes.

Contribution

It introduces a deterministic, single-world version of the Relative State Interpretation that avoids multiple realities and redefines the role of probability amplitudes.

Findings

Amplitudes evolve continuously without collapse.

Only one outcome is realized per event.

The universe's evolution is deterministic but outcome prediction is inherently uncertain.

Abstract

We modify the Relative State Interpretation (RSI) of Quantum Mechanics so that it does not imply many worlds and parallel realities. We drop the assumption that probability amplitudes correspond one-to-one with reality: Not all information is contained in amplitudes, and not all amplitudes need be realized. Amplitudes do not "collapse" after a measurement, but evolve continuously, including unrealized ones. After each "event" only one possible outcome is realized. Therefore, if a value is measured, that value is real, all others are not; there is only one reality and one world. Reality content is "quantized" : unity for realized outcomes, zero for all others. It is "conserved": can move along any possible sequence of events, but only one at a time. The modified RSI is is strictly deterministic in the sense that the "global" probability amplitudes of the universe are determined for all times by the laws of physics and the initial conditions. They guide all events. But it is not deterministic in the sense that from the amplitudes one can not predict which outcome actually happens; that represents new information that accumulates as history unfolds. To the extent that information is part of the physical world, the coming into being of the universe is ongoing, even after the Big Bang. All predictions of the two versions agree, except possibly in esoteric, untested cases.