The problem of time and the problem of quantum measurement

TL;DR

This paper explores the deep connection between the problem of time in quantum theory and the measurement problem, proposing that a reformulation without classical time implies a stochastic non-linear theory explaining wave-function collapse.

Contribution

It suggests that resolving the problem of time leads to a stochastic non-linear reformulation of quantum theory that accounts for wave-function collapse.

Findings

Quantum theory's dependence on classical time is problematic.

A reformulation without classical time implies a stochastic non-linear theory.

This theory provides a dynamical explanation for wave-function collapse.

Abstract

Quantum theory depends on an external classical time, and there ought to exist an equivalent reformulation of the theory which does not depend on such a time. The demand for the existence of such a reformulation suggests that quantum theory is an approximation to a stochastic non-linear theory. The stochastic non-linearity provides a dynamical explanation for the collapse of the wave-function during a quantum measurement. Hence the problem of time and the measurement problem are related to each other: the search for a solution for the former problem naturally implies a solution for the latter problem.