Contextual Wavefunction Collapse: An integrated theory of quantum measurement

TL;DR

This paper proposes a theory called Contextual Wavefunction Collapse (CWC) that explains quantum measurement by considering top-down contextual effects and the role of heat baths, integrating classical physics elements and addressing the arrow of time.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework where measurement outcomes depend on measurement context and heat bath interactions, offering a new perspective beyond decoherence.

Findings

Heat baths induce localization and stochastic dynamics in quantum systems.

Measurement outcomes are determined by the specific measurement context.

The theory links the arrow of time to cosmological directionality.

Abstract

This paper is an in depth implementation of the proposal that the quantum measurement issue can be resolved by carefully looking at top-down contextual effects within realistic measurement contexts. The specific setup of the measurement apparatus determines the possible events that can take place. The interaction of local heat baths with a quantum system plays a key role in the process. In contrast to the usual attempts to explain quantum measurement by decoherence, we argue that the heat bath follows unitary time evolution only over limited length and time scales and thus leads to localization and stochastic dynamics of quantum particles that interact with it. We show furthermore that a theory that describes all the steps from the initial arrival of the quantum particle to the final pointer deflection must use elements from classical physics. This proposal also provides a contextual answer to the puzzle of the origin of the arrow of time when quantum measurements take place: it derives from the cosmological Direction of Time. Overall, our proposal is for Contextual Wavefunction Collapse (CWC).