A No-go Theorem for Superposed Actions (Making Schr\"odinger's Cat Quantum Nonlocal)

TL;DR

This paper presents a no-go theorem demonstrating the impossibility of superposed actions in quantum mechanics, challenging the equivalence of certain thought experiments and emphasizing the role of quantum nonlocality.

Contribution

It introduces a no-go theorem for superposed actions based on the assumption of free choice, and critiques the modeling of Wigner-type experiments under locality.

Findings

Superposed actions are incompatible with quantum theory under free choice.

Modeling Wigner experiments as local many-body states neglects quantum nonlocality.

The equivalence between the extended Wigner's friend thought experiment and Bell-type experiments is invalid under certain assumptions.

Abstract

The Extended Wigner's Friend thought experiment, which involves a quantum system with an agent who draws conclusions based on the results of a measurement of a quantum state provided in two nonorthogonal versions by another agent, led its designers to the conclusion that quantum theory cannot consistently explain the use of itself. It has also been suggested that this thought experiment is equivalent to entangled state (Bell-type) experiments. This study indicates that the assumption of the first Wigner's friend's freedom of choice, regarding how to prepare a quantum state in one of the two available nonorthogonal versions, invalidates such equivalence. A no-go theorem for superposed actions is derived on this basis. It is also argued that modeling Wigner-type experiments under the principle of locality, i.e., using enclosed containers modeled as composite, many-body quantum states, is fundamentally wrong as it neglects quantum nonlocality.