Spontaneous Unitarity Violation and Quantum State Reduction

TL;DR

This paper explores spontaneous unitarity violation as a thermodynamic mechanism for quantum state reduction, offering a new interpretation of quantum probabilities and addressing the measurement problem.

Contribution

It introduces an alternative interpretation of quantum probabilities based on SUV models, linking state reduction to thermodynamic phenomena.

Findings

SUV models can naturally explain quantum state reduction

Proposes an improved propensity-based interpretation of quantum probabilities

Discusses philosophical implications of SUV for quantum foundations

Abstract

One of the central foundational problems in quantum mechanics is the inability of Schr\"odinger's unitary time evolution to describe measurement of a quantum state. Recent developments in models of spontaneous unitarity violation (SUV) propose that quantum state reduction can emerge as a thermodynamic phenomenon, offering a natural resolution to the measurement problem. This paper investigates the philosophical implications of SUV in relation to the nature of probabilities in quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. It provides an alternate interpretation of probabilities in quantum mechanics that aligns with (and improves upon) the arguments of the propensity interpretation of probabilities.