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What's Ultimately Possible in Physics?
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Spring 2008
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Previous Contests
What's Ultimately Possible in Physics?
Spring 2009
Special Thanks to Bruce & Astrid McWilliams
read/discuss • winners
The Nature of Time
Spring 2008
read/discuss • winners
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FQXi FORUM
March 11, 2010
CATEGORY:
The Nature of Time Essay Contest
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TOPIC: Can we change the past by forgetting? by Saibal Mitra [refresh]
TOPIC: Can we change the past by forgetting? by Saibal Mitra [refresh]
Essay Abstract
Assuming the validity of the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics (MWI), we examine the possibility of changing the past by memory erasure. We find that while observers cannot change the probability of experiencing certain outcomes, they can nevertheless randomize past events and thus end up in a different sector of the multiverse. We also discuss Tegmark's quantum suicide thought experiment and show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, it {it cannot} be used by an observer to test the validity of the MWI for herself.
Author Bio
Saibal Mitra is currently working on his Ph.D. at the university of Amsterdam.
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post approved
Assuming the validity of the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics (MWI), we examine the possibility of changing the past by memory erasure. We find that while observers cannot change the probability of experiencing certain outcomes, they can nevertheless randomize past events and thus end up in a different sector of the multiverse. We also discuss Tegmark's quantum suicide thought experiment and show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, it {it cannot} be used by an observer to test the validity of the MWI for herself.
Author Bio
Saibal Mitra is currently working on his Ph.D. at the university of Amsterdam.
Download Essay PDF File
post approved
I failed to correct two typo's.
Eq. (7), the second term should be |No comet)
Eq. (10), there |O_initial) should be |O_notified)
I did spot these errors, but when I compiled the file for the last time, I forgot to run pdflatex :(
post approved
Eq. (7), the second term should be |No comet)
Eq. (10), there |O_initial) should be |O_notified)
I did spot these errors, but when I compiled the file for the last time, I forgot to run pdflatex :(
post approved
Dear Saibal Mitra,
Nice idea of the possibility of traveling between parallel worlds by applying the time reversal of the MWI branching – forgetting the past. Interesting analysis of this idea. Perhaps this can be related in a way to undoing quantum measurements.
Best regards,
Cristi Stoica
Flowing with a Frozen River
post approved
Nice idea of the possibility of traveling between parallel worlds by applying the time reversal of the MWI branching – forgetting the past. Interesting analysis of this idea. Perhaps this can be related in a way to undoing quantum measurements.
Best regards,
Cristi Stoica
Flowing with a Frozen River
post approved
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