Measurement and Collapse within the Two-State-Vector Formalism

TL;DR

This paper refines the concept of measurement collapse within the Two-State-Vector Formalism, demonstrating how definite outcomes and macroscopic time-reversibility emerge, offering new insights into quantum measurement and interpretations.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of 'classical robustness under time-reversal' and shows how measurement outcomes are determined in TSVF, impacting the understanding of quantum measurement and the many-worlds interpretation.

Findings

Definite measurement results can be derived from specific forward and backward quantum states.

Macroscopic time-reversibility is achievable under certain conditions, leading to classical robustness.

The work offers a new perspective on the measurement problem, the Born rule, and the many-worlds interpretation.

Abstract

The notion of collapse is discussed and refined within the Two-State-Vector Formalism (TSVF). We show how a definite result of a measurement can be fully determined when considering specific forward and backward-evolving quantum states. Moreover, we show how macroscopic time-reversibility is attained, at the level of a single branch of the wavefunction, when several conditions regarding the final state and dynamics are met, a property for which we coin the term "classical robustness under time-reversal". These entail a renewed perspective on the measurement problem, the Born rule and the many-worlds interpretation.