Objective Collapse Theory - Variations

Variations

Objective collapse theories regard the present formalism of quantum mechanics as incomplete, in some sense. (For that reason it is more correct to call them theories than interpretations.) They divide into two subtypes, depending on how the hypothesised mechanism of collapse stands in relation to the unitary evolution of the wavefunction.

  1. Collapse is found "within" the evolution of the wavefunction, often by modifying the equations to introduce small amounts of non-linearity. A well-known example is the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber theory (GRW).
  2. The evolution of the wavefunction remains unchanged, and an additional collapse process ("Objective reduction") is added, or at least hypothesised. A well-known example is the Penrose interpretation, which links collapse to gravitational stress in general relativistic spacetime, with the threshold value being one graviton.

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