Since chemistry is my profession I also have dealed with quantum mechanics and (thank God) I wrote a paper also about this subject. It deals about the 2 slit experiment, the measurment problem and the wavefunction collapse.

 

In short: nothing is collapsing the wave function simply altered and what is seen is all normal fits perfectly in reasonable scientific logic. It is explained in the paper that you can see also at researchgate:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308204158_2_slits_wave_function_collapse_and_the_measurement_problem_What_happens_and_is_there_a_real_problem_update_18-09-2016

 

 

 

2 slits, wave function “collapse” and the measurement problem.

What happens and is there a real problem ?

 

E.G.J.J. Korteweg (originally a chemist)

This is a private research and not affiliated to any kind of institution.

 

 

Abstract:

 

For decades the 2 slit experiment has given science a seeming problem. The question is, is there really a problem ?. In trying to figure out where a particle goes, a measuring instrument can be put behind the 2 slits to see where the particle go, But if that is done the wave properties of the particle seems to disappear, the question is why ? If we consider measuring devices as a collection of wave functions making up the entire instrument and that all individual particle wave functions have gone up in one big wave function of the instrument, then it is more easy to understand this issue, since measuring make the particle be entangled-or-connected to the instrument wave function, the wave function is altered but it is not collapsed. So the tiny particle wave function is forced to behave classically instead of quantum mechanically and thus it will end up in either 2 positions right behind one of the 2 slits, instead of being scattered out as a wave and then hit the detection screen as such and picture the wavy pattern that we know of the 2 slit experiment.

In this paper it is postulated that what actually happens is not a collapse but more over there is an immediate alteration from one mathematical function to another Y1 to Y2. And since a wave function has some non-locality the change is immediate and everywhere where the wave function has occupied space-time.

 

 

Introduction:

 

In quantum mechanics  a wave-function collapse is a process that a wave function of a particle seems to disappear as a particle joins a detector. But in this paper an alternative look on what happens is presented.

In the early 1900’s quantum mechanics became a new form of science describing the very small sub microscopic world of electrons, light, atoms, protons, neutrons and other molecular particles. By means of the 2 slit experiment a wave-particle duality arose and the term wave function collapse was introduced.

In a more closer look towards the process what is happening in the 2 slit experiment may reveal some other way of seeing this phenomenon.

The described collapse may not be a collapse at all.

In order to get a better understanding we need to dig in deeper in the 2 slit experiment and analyse each step by looking at what really is happening in each part of this process.

 

 

The 2 slit experiment, step by step.

 

In the 2 slit experiment a particle is produced by a particle generator/canon/source. Whether that is a light photon or electron or proton, molecule or any other particle else is not so important right now, since they all behave the same, albeit with different wave lengths. The known limits to this experiment is above approximately 10.000 atomic mass units which is experimentally verified [1],[2].

This particle can be described with a wave function WF1. Or Y1.

In being created a particle is released from a particle generator. But also a particle generator is a macroscopic object consisting of numerous particles and thus wave functions, but they are mutually confined by the forces acting upon them. In this collection of wave functions the wave functions kind of unite or merge to become one big wave function of the object. Why one big wave function ?

Looking at de Broglie’s  formulation there is no discrimination between small particles like atoms, electrons, molecules and far bigger objects like a grain of sand/salt or a stone or even a car.

                l =  h / m*v                                                                                                                                     (1)

With h = 6.626068*10-34 J*s

M is the mass of the object in kg

V is the speed of the object in m/s

 

The only things mentioned in this formula are the mass, the speed a constant and a wavelength. Now let’s consider some objects with certain speeds.

 

Object                                        (rest)Mass [kg]     Speed [m/s]           Wavelength  [m]     Wavelength [nm]

Proton                                        1.673E-27               1000                        3,96E-10                   0,39615

Sugar molecule C6H12O6     3,01E-25                 1000                        2,20E-12                    0,00220

Sugar molecule C6H12O6      3,01E-25                 1                              2,20E-09                   2,19964

salt NaCl                                    9,76E-26                 1000                       6,79E-12                    0,00679

1 salt grain (0,3 mm)3               5,85E-08                1                               1,13E-26                    1,1327E-17

1 salt grain(0,3 mm)3                5,85E-08                0,001                       1,13E-23                    1,1327E-14

1/1000 of a salt grain               5,85E-11                 1                               1,13266E-23             1,13266E-14

1/1000 of a salt grain               5,85E-11                 0,001=1 mm/s        1,13266E-20            1,13266E-11

1/1000000 of a salt grain        5,85E-14                0,000001=1 um/s  1,13266E-14             1,13266E-05

 

It is obvious that due to the fact that h the Planck constant is so enormous small there is a very huge gap between the quantum world and the classical every day observed world that we directly perceive.

Even a very tiny bit of a salt grain is and behaves, in our everyday life, as a classical object even at pretty low speeds like 0.000001 m/s which is a micrometre per second (um/s)

Only extremely tiny objects like electrons protons and molecules show clear quantum behaviour.

 

 

Space,... the final frontier ?

 

Now in moving from the particle generator toward the 2 slits and detector-screen there is a medium in which the particle moves. It has always been assumed that this medium has no influence, but the question rises if this is a valid assumption. This medium may be “simply” empty space (by evacuating this room), but it should be remembered that empty space is not so empty as was thought of as we know for many years already.

 

Knowing this, the medium in which the particles moves, may play a key role in the 2 slit experiment. This may be also be the reason why particles end up seemingly random on the screen when they are being fired one by one. Since space-time is fluctuating and creating and annihilating virtual particles, this process may strongly influence the end-position of a particle on the detector screen.

 

An experiment to test this could be a Casimir-force- measuring-setup through which the particles of interest are passed. The 2 electric conductive plates isolate the virtual particles with bigger wave-lengths and thus create a less influence area is to be expected from the remaining virtual particles caused by the Casimir process. In this way it may be proven whether or not empty space indeed influences an experiment like the 2 slit experiment. This type of experiment should not be to hard or expensive to set up. And since we are not observing the 2 slit experiment we do not expect any disturbing influence due to observation, unless….. but that will be discussed in a later moment(*).

 

The particle, which is released from the generator moves unconfined through space and behaves fully like an unbound wave-particle it passes the slits just as a wave does and hits the screen. A spot shows up at the screen. A wave function before it hits the detector screen is unbound and therefore very much spread out. Statistically spoke it can show up anywhere the wave goes from our point of view. And since anything can indeed happen before hitting the screen this is true as a fact. Something may just come in between and the particle ends up in a totally different place as statistically highly expected, somewhere near the middle.

 

Now in approaching the screen a wave function is confronted with another object that is macroscopic. And a macroscopic object consists as described earlier of numerous wave-functions that are far more confined and actually can behave as 1 big wave-function Y3 . Since a small but still macroscopic object (like a very very small grain of sand, salt, sugar) can still act as a single wave function according to de Broglie’s equation:

 

                l =  h / m*v                                                                                                                                     (1)

 

Now the free wave function is forced, by its momentum, which was given to it by the generator, to meet these more confined wave-functions of the macroscopic object and therefore is forced to become and behave like wise; as a macroscopic object wave function. This process is called the wave function collapse, but since nothing collapses but is rather altered into a different wave function to merge with the wave function of the macroscopic object. The free unbound wave function becomes a bound wave function and thus needs to alter its wave function. So basically what happens is wave function WF1 (or Y1) becomes wave function WF2 (or Y2).

 

Mathematically:

 

Y1  --> Y2                                                                                                                                        (2)

 

Now since the phenomenon of entanglement we know that wave functions can change immediately over large portions of space, which makes only sense as a wave function is nothing more than a purely mathematical description, both in the mathematical world as well as in reality.

The fact that the phenomenon of entanglement shows this immediate altering property over large distances, it shows us that we must accept that reality is a mathematical description of nature. Math and reality are closely related.

 

That also means that there is nothing like a wave function collapse, although it may seem so, but it rather is a wave function alteration due to the merging of 2 wave functions. A smaller objects wave function Y1  merges with the macroscopic object wave function Y3  forcing the Y1  to be altered and become part of Y3. The name of wave function collapse is misleading and incorrect and should be changed to wave function transformation or wave function alteration or wave function confinement to give us a better understanding to what really happens.

 

Now we can understand better why observers have an impact on the 2 slit experiment and why there is a phenomenon what is known as the measurement problem. There is in fact no problem, since we can now understand, due to the phenomenon of entanglement and the phenomenon of the wave-function alteration, that observing during the 2 slit experiment is actually making the wave function Y1  part of the instrument of observation by the interaction of observation so the particle is forced to behave macroscopically and will end up in 2 piles of particles right behind either of the slits. Observing makes the wave function Y1  interact with a macroscopic object and thus part of it as well and thus behave macroscopically. It changes (not collapses !) to a wave function that behaves as a macroscopic wave function due to the interaction of confinement. A part of the observing instrument properties is confinement and this property is being transferred to the wave function Y1 to become a different wave function Y4 that behaves macroscopically and thus ends up on the screen right behind one of the 2 slits, just as tennis (or any other) balls would.  

 

 

Macro objects interference

 

We now go back to the (*) where I left the explanation open for that moment.

Before describing what is going on it was hard to explain this issue. But now it can be seen in a different light. Since in understanding what is  going on better now, it can easily be understood that any interaction with a macroscopic object would result in macroscopic behaviour of the particles. So the Casimir set up may not or may interfere due to the fact that it is macroscopic and thus enforces quantum objects to start behaving macroscopic instead of quantum mechanically.

Wave functions of particles and thus particles are strongly influenced by other wave functions, whether these other wave functions are packed together in an macroscopic object or not they interact very strongly together. Based on that entanglement and derived from that is pretty easily understood. Reality is apparently a mathematical expression of under laying processes. Reality behaves purely mathematical as wave functions proof to be, it forces us to think in terms of purely mathematical ways of how reality behaves. The idea of a holographic world, whether true or not,  comes closer in that way. In the light of my personal religious believes it also makes sense however. As human beings we are just a combination of matter and soul or spirit.

Looking back at the table (1) and with the above explanation, it means that quantum behaving objects like electrons are easily influenced by macroscopic objects even if they are tiny in our consideration( a 1/1000000 of a salt grain). The contact between a macroscopic object then is always stronger then the quantum phenomenon that we try to observe. We do not need to be surprised that observing quantum behaving particles stop behaving in a quantum manner, if they are being contacted with macroscopic objects. One can think of measuring objects (measuring the position or hitting a detector screen) even if it is indirectly via intermediate particles to perform the observation since they carry the macroscopic wave function properties as well. In carrying this macroscopic properties, they merge with the quantum object and thus transferring the macroscopic properties that go along with it. This phenomenon is also observed in the entanglement phenomenon; properties are being transferred even on long distances.

 

 

The world upside down

 

Now since experiments have verified that big molecules are able to show quantum effects  up to at least 10.000 amu [2], it may be possible to find out the issue of through which slit the molecule goes. Since the big molecule behaves more classically the  for example an electron. An electron could be used to determine how and where the big molecule goes. So the experiment of Sandra Eibenberger et al, could be repeated but then trying to use a small electron at low speed to determine how a molecule moves in the whole process. Since the big molecule is less influenced by an electrons wave function, there may be a chance that in a setup in which the path of the big molecule is traced by the smaller electron and give us insight in the quantum behaviour. So we use an old days, old school item, electrons, to possibly determine the pathways that we think are impossible to determine. Of course this is a theoretical proposal to an experiment.

 

A change of mind

 

In order to understand the quantum world we need to leave behind more and more the classical ways of thinking and start to think in terms of mathematical ruled world. Waves, waves and even more waves and all the mathematical functions that accompany that world. This requires a change of mind set. Macroscopic objects are constructed of enormous amounts of wave functions and behave as one single wave function. One can see that the larger an object becomes the smaller the wavefunction and the behaviour becomes more what we know as classical behaviour, as if it was a solid object. 

 

Confinement of particles/waves.

 

Macroscopic objects are made up by numerous particles or wave functions. All these wave functions however are confined to each other by their own properties like charge and magnetic fields. This causes the individual wave functions to behave different then if these wave function particles would be free floating in space. Energy barriers limit the possibilities of particles to be outside these energy barriers even though quantum tunnelling gives some chance to change that. Confinement of particles also makes a free wave function

 

Predictions:

 

If 1 of the 2 entangled particle is led through an 2 slit experiment and 1 of the particles is being observed and thus starts to behave classically; automatically the entangles particles also starts to behave classically no matter how far apart, even in a 2 slit experiment far away and unobserved.

 

 

Conclusion and discussion:

 

Wavefunctions are very sensitive for alterations and should be treated as purely mathematical items/issues. Contacting each other alters the properties on the spot and even over very large distances if particles are entangled.

 

 

Acknowledgement:

 

The only Person I like to thank for this knowledge is God-Jesus Christ-Holy Spirit Almighty. He is the provider of all knowledge and He gave me this knowledge to pass it on to humanity. This may be not a usual way of doing in the (secular) science community but non the less I remain with this statement. Since July 2004 I am a creationistic, Zionistic, messianic type of Christian and in my opinion God should get the honour of scientific findings on every level, just as in the days of Newton, Kepler, Galileo and all these great medieval scientists. Finally I like to thank my parents and wife, for her support in these findings. My parents for allowing me to study in the different fields of science and my wife for her daily support in our daily life with her love and patience for my love of and therefore time for science.

 

 

References:

 

[1] Real-time single-molecule imaging of quantum interference, Thomas Juffmann et al, Nature Nanotechnology 7, 297–300, (2012), doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.34

[2] Matter-wave interference with particles selected from a molecular library with masses exceeding 10 000 amu Sandra Eibenberger et al. , DOI: 10.1039/C3CP51500A