On the Status of the Measurement Problem: Recalling the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation

In a nutshell, the measurement problem (MP) is this: given an interaction among quantum systems (such as an unstable atom, atoms comprising a Geiger Counter, atoms comprising a vial of gas, a cat, a friend of Wigner, etc.), which of those interactions constitutes ‘measurement,’ and why? During the past several decades, worries about the MP … Continue reading On the Status of the Measurement Problem: Recalling the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation

Life Creates Disequilibrium–But How?

As living creatures on this planet, we go through our daily lives dealing with the unexpected (whether welcome or unwelcome), the surprising, the awkward, the astonishing, the frustrating. Even if we are able to 'go on a vacation' to try to escape from all the chaos, we never really leave it behind. (Is there ever … Continue reading Life Creates Disequilibrium–But How?

More on Entropy and the Arrow of Time

This is somewhat technical. It's for those interested in the puzzle of how we get the irreversible processes we see all around us from laws that are supposedly reversible. The trick: they are not all reversible. A crucial part of the physics of Nature involves an irreversible step that has long been neglected. The paper … Continue reading More on Entropy and the Arrow of Time

Observation is Measurement, but Measurement is not necessarily “Observation”

“By final [state], we mean at that moment the probability is desired—that is, when the experiment is “finished.” –Richard P. Feynman, Feynman Lectures, Vol. 3 The challenge of defining measurement is evident in the excerpt from Feynman’s famous Lectures in Physics, quoted above--when is the experiment 'finished'??. This remark arises in his discussion of when … Continue reading Observation is Measurement, but Measurement is not necessarily “Observation”

The Arrow of Time from an Overlooked Physical Law

In this post, I'm going to disagree with the following statement by physicist Sean Carroll concerning the nature of time: "The weird thing about the arrow of time is that it’s not to be found in the underlying laws of physics. It’s not there. So it’s a feature of the universe we see, but not … Continue reading The Arrow of Time from an Overlooked Physical Law