Revised Schrödinger's cat experiment challenges reality
A classic experiment gets an update that contradicts key assumptions of quantum mechanics.
28 September, 2018
- Physicists revise the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.
- The new version leads to contradictions in quantum theory.
- Scientists are stumped by the implications.
</li></ul><p>Quantum mechanics has produced its share of weird ideas, not least of which is what's probably the world's most famous thought experiment devised by physicist <strong>Erwin Schrödinger</strong> in 1935. It described the uncertain fate of a cat trapped in a box with a deadly substance. Now the experiment got an update from two physicists, leading to conclusions that threaten to undermine the foundations of the whole field.</p><p>By replacing the cat in the box with multiple physicists doing experiments, the duo of <strong>Daniela Frauchiger</strong> and <a href="http://www.qit.ethz.ch/people/person-detail.html?persid=59275" target="_blank">Renato Renner </a>of the <a href="https://www.ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank">Swiss Federal Institute of Technology</a> (ETH) in Zurich has caused heated debates among physicists for the past two years. </p><p>Schrödinger's original idea <a href="https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/the-life-and-death-of-schrodingers-cat-and-what-it-really-means" target="_blank">proposed</a> that if you put a cat in a box, along with a possibly decaying radioactive substance which would release a killer acid, the cat could be both alive and dead until that box was opened, fixating its state. Schrödinger devised this scenario to point to inconsistencies in the so-called <strong>Copenhagen interpretation</strong> of quantum mechanics, created by <strong>Niels Bohr</strong> and <strong>Werner Heisenberg</strong> in the 1920s. </p><p>The interpretation states that a quantum particle can exist in all possible states until an observer forces what's called <strong>"the wave function collapse", </strong>making the particle choose one probable state. Unfortunately, as Schrödinger showed, this theory may work on the quantum level but when applied to larger objects like cats, it becomes somewhat ridiculous and impossible—the cat cannot be both alive and dead.</p><p>Still, the Copenhagen interpretation has persisted, in part due to saying that while quantum objects may exist in uncertain states, experimental observation can give certain results. It is that certainty which the new thought experiment has attacked.</p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODY3MTE3My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzYyMjA2NH0.eiKPyaM65AmdGFl9uBAeSgC4RVmYXT-ualXhZiBdX0o/img.png?width=980" id="dec2f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="29e2a4e8fa11eadef0ef5eb92b7a4d36" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" data-gramm="true" data-gramm_editor="true" data-gramm_id="30341710-ddc2-8344-5184-c4e47a9237a6" placeholder="add caption..." spellcheck="false"> Diagram for the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, showing the radioactive substance and the hammer that will potentially be dropped to spill the acid, thereby killing the cat.</small></p><div class="_1BN1N Kzi1t BD-0J _7_mnr _2DJZN" style="z-index: 2; transform: translate(443px, 278.953px);"><div class="_1HjH7"><div class="_3qe6h" title="Protected by Grammarly"> </div></div></div><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Dhatfield" target="_blank">Dhatfield</a>/Wikimedia Commons.</small><p>The conceptual experiment by the scientists from Zurich involves putting two physicist cats into boxes. One cat would toss a coin and using its knowledge of quantum physics send a message to the other cat. That second cat, in its turn, would also employ quantum theory but to detect the message from the other cat and guess the coin toss. If two outside observers were to open these boxes, they would some times be able to guess with certainty how the coin landed but on occasion their conclusions would not agree.<br></p><blockquote>"One says, 'I'm sure it's tails,' and the other one says, 'I'm sure it's heads,'" <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06749-8" target="_blank">described</a> that eventuality Renato Renner.</blockquote><p> That's like implying reality can split in two on occasion.</p><p><br></p>
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<p>This paradox has stumped other scientists as well. "I think this is a whole new level of weirdness," said Matthew Leifer, a theoretical physicist at Chapman University in Orange, California to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06749-8" target="_blank">Nature magazine.</a></p><p>There is a potential way this experiment can actually be carried out, but it would involve quantum computers that are not in existence yet. </p><p>The scientists originally published their argument online in 2016. Check out their final paper "Quantum theory cannot consistently describe the use of itself" from September 2018 in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06749-8" target="_blank">Nature</a> magazine.</p>
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If the Pentagon Is Hiding Aliens from Us, the Zoo Hypothesis May Explain Why
An MIT astronomer famously explained why aliens haven't contacted us yet.
25 December, 2017
Credit: Pixabay
<p></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Recent revelations that the Pentagon had an <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/12/16/pentagon-ufo-search-harry-reid-216111" target="_blank">actual alien-hunting division</a> have rocked conspiracy theorists everywhere, adding fuel to the long-held beliefs of many that the government is hiding the truth from us. </span><strong>Luis Elizondo</strong>, the military intel official who headed the now-defunct “Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program,” which ran from 2009 until 2012, was so convinced by what he saw that he continued his search for E.T. until this day. He now has a UFO-research startup and <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/942925945916162048" target="_blank">alerted CNN</a> that there’s “compelling evidence” we are not alone. </p> <p></p><p class="p1"><span class="s2">While Elizondo’s evidence may be based on being privy to a number of unexplained encounters with flying objects, the aliens haven’t made their presence very clear. If the universe contains <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-01-universe-trillion-galaxies.html" target="_blank">at least two trillion galaxies</a> full of billions of stars like our sun, shouldn’t there be other complex life forms out there by now? It would only make sense. So </span><span class="s3">“where is everybody?” as the Nobel laureate physicist <strong>Enrico Fermi</strong> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox" target="_blank"><span class="s2">famously asked</span></a> about the absence of evidence and the high probability of alien existence.</span></p> <p></p><p class="p1"><span class="s3"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODI0MDY4Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODkzMDA3MH0.F22mvLUB4XiDzCGeq5PrwNfhT4oB6-PEum03glsmGt8/img.jpg?width=980" id="2df33" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fc6010e0264674fa0302352a7a7cc7f4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><br></span></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><em>Professor Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), known for achieving the first controlled nuclear reaction, lecturing on the optical characteristics of neutrons at the Domegani Institute in Milan. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)</em></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2">There are certainly many speculations about the possibility of aliens and their potential motives. It could be that there’s been no contact because they are too far away, and we need for our technologies to catch up before we meet up. They could look like something else entirely so we can’t even perceive them yet. Or maybe we underestimate the uniqueness and preciousness of humanity and we really are alone. But an idea formulated in the 70s takes a different swing at this compelling issue.<span> </span></span></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2">The <strong>Zoo Hypothesis, </strong>proposed by the MIT radio astronomer <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602302/galactic-model-simulates-how-et-civilizations-could-be-deliberately-avoiding-earth/" target="_blank"><span class="s4">John A. Ball</span></a> in 1973, says that aliens may be avoiding contact with us on purpose, so as not to interfere with our evolution and the development of our societies. The human civilization could be essentially living in a “zoo” or a space wildlife sanctuary, where others populating the cosmos dare not go. By staying clear of us, they avoid <strong>interplanetary contamination. </strong></span></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2">Perhaps the aliens are waiting for us to reach a certain technological or moral point before they will talk to us. Or they may be simply trying to protect us and themselves. You’ve seen “Independence Day” - there may be a similar movie made thousands of light years away about us.</span></p> <p></p><p class="p1"><span class="s3"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODI0MDY4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTk1ODI4MH0.ZvthyvUpcpCcR4KQB-ncLLHTXgAHXevxK204jIQl2SY/img.jpg?width=980" id="38470" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a30792384ac06730e3cd249c72a2dbc1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><br></span></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><em>Luis Elizondo, former head of <span>“Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program,</span> Credit: CNN.</em></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2">This idea of the zoo hypothesis presumes that aliens would want to have some relatively benevolent system of belief - perhaps a universally-accepted law about how to treat lower-level cosmic inhabitants. One explanation could be that a higher intelligence would not want to limit the diversity of paths in the universe by somehow interfering with other beings.<span> </span></span> </p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2">The hypothesis makes the most sense in a crowded universe, if there are many civilizations which set up rules by which they govern their coexistence. Of course, if there are many extraterrestrial players, it is also doubtful that one of them wouldn’t have somehow contacted us, even if by accident. Maybe that’s what the Earth’s alien hunters are picking up on - random, unsanctioned interactions.<span> </span></span></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2"><span>Of course, if we put our tinfoil hats on, it also stands to reason that if there is some kind of Universe-wide law of non-interference with other species, someone at the Pentagon could be in on it.</span></span></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2">For a more in-depth explanation of the zoo hypothesis, check out <a href="https://www.haystack.mit.edu/hay/staff/jball/etiy.pdf" target="_blank">John A. Ball's paper</a> "Extraterrestrial Intelligence:Where is Everybody?"</span></p> <p></p><p class="p4"><span class="s2"><span>And here's what theoretical physicist Brian Greene thinks about the Fermi Paradox and the existence of intelligent life beyond Earth:</span></span></p> <p></p><div class="video-full-card-placeholder" data-slug="brian-greene-on-aliens" style="border: 1px solid #ccc;">
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"Game of Thrones" Creators Face Growing Controversy over Their next Show
Creators of the mega-hit tv show "Game of Thrones" face growing controversy over their next show.
23 July, 2017
Creators D.B Weiss and David Benioff attend the DVD launch of the complete first season of 'Game Of Thrones' at Old Vic Tunnels on February 29, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images)
As the wildly popular HBO show “Game of Thrones” started on its final season, the creators of the mega-hit have announced their next television project. David Benioff and D.B.Weiss were given a series order by HBO to make “Confederate” - a new drama they created that is set in an alternate historical timeline. In the world of the show, the South managed to secede, founding a nation where slavery remains legal until the modern day.
<p><span>The topic was sure to be controversial and provoked an immediate outrage online, perhaps more than the Emmy-winning Benioff and Weiss or HBO bargained for. “Game of Thrones” has been accused of being </span>misogynistic and overly violent and many didn’t believe its creators would be able to handle a sensitive topic well. Some wondered whether the show would represent some kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy for white supremacists or become “slavery pornography.”</p> <p>On Twitter, journalist <strong>Pilot Viruet</strong> did not mince words, calling out “white showrunners telling hbo they wanna write slavery fanfic.”</p> <blockquote></blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">give me the confidence of white showrunners telling hbo they wanna write slavery fanfic</p> <p>— pilot (@pilotbacon) <a href="https://twitter.com/pilotbacon/status/887780993687576578" target="_blank">July 19, 2017</a></p> <p><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </p><p>Sociologist <strong>Crystal Fleming</strong> saw no redeeming value in such a project, finding in it nothing but crass commercialism:</p> <blockquote></blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Regarding <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Confederate?src=hash" target="_blank">#Confederate</a>: I'm still in disbelief at the media's response to the rise of overt white nationalism. They're monetizing this shit.</p> <p>— Professor Fleming (@alwaystheself) <a href="https://twitter.com/alwaystheself/status/888068616498929664" target="_blank">July 20, 2017</a></p> <p><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"/> </p><p>Others, like the journalist and speaker <strong>April Reign,</strong> have already called for cancelling the show.</p> <blockquote></blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Right. As if we're going to let CONFEDERATE get that far. It needs to be shut down NOW, not after a premiere. <a href="https://twitter.com/HBO" target="_blank">@HBO</a> <a href="https://t.co/OX7JRtIo6S" target="_blank">https://t.co/OX7JRtIo6S</a></p> <p>— April (@ReignOfApril) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReignOfApril/status/888433322937917440" target="_blank">July 21, 2017</a></p> <p><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"/> </p><p>HBO has described the plot of the series <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/hbo-confederate-tv-show-game-of-thrones-creators-david-benioff-db-weiss-1202500538/" target="_blank">in a statement </a>as chronicling the events that lead up to the Third American Civil War. The story follows a group of characters on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Demilitarized Zone. These include freedom fighters, slave hunters, abolitionists, and execs in charge of slave-owning conglomerates. </p> <p><span>The network has praised the creative duo of Benioff and Weiss, stating that “</span>their intelligent, wry and visually stunning approach to storytelling has a way of engaging an audience and taking them on an unforgettable journey.” To address the brewing controversy head on, the pair gave an <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/hbo-confederate-producers-exclusive-interview.html" target="_blank">extensive interview to <em>Vulture</em>,</a> where they explained more about the project. </p> <p><span>D.B Weiss pointed to how seriously they take slavery, <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/hbo-confederate-producers-exclusive-interview.html" target="_blank">stating</a> that “</span>it goes without saying slavery is the worst thing that ever happened in American history. It’s our original sin as a nation. And history doesn’t disappear. That sin is still with us in many ways.”</p> <p>Their vision for <em>Confederate </em>is to make a <strong>science fiction, alternative-history show.</strong> The goal is to use science fiction as a vehicle to “show us how this history is still with us in a way no strictly realistic drama ever could, whether it were a historical drama or a contemporary drama.” Weiss also called the show a “ potentially valuable way to talk” about the country’s tensions.</p> <p>On the subject of whether they can handle such an emotionally raw topic, Weiss explained that their approach will be very different than on <em>Game of Thrones.</em></p> <blockquote>
<p>“We know that the elements in play in a show like <em>Confederate</em>are much more raw, much more real, and people come into them much more sensitive and more invested, than they do with a story about a place called Westeros, which none of them had ever heard of before they read the books or watched the show,” <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/hbo-confederate-producers-exclusive-interview.html" target="_blank"><span>said Weiss.</span></a> “We know they are different things, and they need to be dealt with in very, very different ways. And we plan, all of us I think, to approach <em>Confederate</em> in a much different spirit, by necessity, than we would approach a show named <em>Game of Thrones.”</em></p>
</blockquote> <p><strong>Malcolm Spellman,</strong> who is African-American, and along with his wife <span>Nichelle Tramble Spellman will work as a</span> writing partner and executive producer on the show, assured that the project will handle slavery sensitively.</p> <blockquote>
<p>"This is not a world in which the entire country is enslaved. Slavery is in one half of the country. And the North is the North," <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/hbo-confederate-producers-exclusive-interview.html" target="_blank"><span>said Malcolm.</span></a> "The imagery should be no whips and no plantations."</p>
</blockquote> <p>He was even more forceful than talking about the need for such a show in this day.</p> <blockquote>
<p>"People have got to stop pretending that slavery was something that happened and went away. The shit is affecting people in the present day," <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/hbo-confederate-producers-exclusive-interview.html" target="_blank"><span>he said.</span></a> "But everyone knows that with Trump coming into power, a bunch of shit that had always been there got resurfaced."</p>
</blockquote> <p>At the moment, HBO has not changed any of its plans for the show and the creators are going to start on it as soon as <em>Game of Thrones</em> finishes later this year. It remains to be seen whether the backlash will grow. Interestingly, Amazon’s “Man in the High Castle”, another alternative-history show where Nazis won World War 2, has not faced similar issues in public perception. </p></script></p>
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