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On the Possibility of Probing the Speed of Quantum Collapse
Version 1
: Received: 3 November 2024 / Approved: 4 November 2024 / Online: 5 November 2024 (10:07:12 CET)
How to cite: Orlicki, J. On the Possibility of Probing the Speed of Quantum Collapse. Preprints 2024, 2024110282. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0282.v1 Orlicki, J. On the Possibility of Probing the Speed of Quantum Collapse. Preprints 2024, 2024110282. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0282.v1
Abstract
The instantaneous nature of quantum entanglement remains one of the most intriguing aspects of quantum mechanics. While the no-signaling theorem prohibits faster-than-light communication, the concept of a finite speed for the collapse of the quantum wavefunction has been a subject of philosophical debate. In this paper, we propose an experimental setup designed to test the speed of wavefunction collapse using entangled photon pairs over a distance of 10 km. By systematically varying the time delay between measurements and analyzing the resulting correlations, we aim to outline a method that could place bounds on the collapse speed without contradicting the no-signaling theorem. We argue that detecting a finite, possibly superluminal, speed of collapse could allow for maintaining realism and locality through high-speed remote synchronization, eliminating the need for hidden variables. We provide a detailed experimental design, including an algorithm and a Python implementation using the Cirq library to simulate the proposed experiment. Our goal is to motivate experimentalists to undertake this test, which could have profound implications for our understanding of quantum mechanics and the nature of reality.
Keywords
Quantum entanglement; Wavefunction collapse; Speed of collapse; Quantum nonlocality; Experimental proposal; Realism; Locality; No-signaling theorem; Bell's theorem; Cirq simulation; Quantum foundations
Subject
Physical Sciences, Quantum Science and Technology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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