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From: brooks@lll-crg.ARPA (Eugene D. Brooks III)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Re: Faster than light.
Message-ID: <695@lll-crg.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 11-Jul-85 00:55:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: lll-crg.695
Posted: Thu Jul 11 00:55:16 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 16-Jul-85 08:02:33 EDT
References: <372@sri-arpa.ARPA>
Organization: Lawrence Livermore Labs, CRG group
Lines: 33

> From:  Mayank Prakash 
> 
> 
> >> The wave function is more than just a computational device - it is the actual
> >> probability amplitude, whose mod-squared gives the probability density of
> >> seeing a photon at a given point. The wave function collapse is the stronger
> 
> >I certainly agree that the wavefunction is a probability amplitude which
> >mathematically propagates according to a set of equations of motion.  It
> >is not however real physical entity like for instance an electric field.
> >It is just a probability amplitude that you square to get the probability
> >of various results.  People get unhappy with the idea of it "collapsing
> >instantanously" because they think of it as a real physical object.  This
> >causes them to think that someting is moving faster than light when it
> >"collapses"...... cup of sugar?
> 
> Why is the electric field any more real? Isn't it just something in my mind as
> well? Can you pass me a cup of electric field please? If you do, I will give
> you two cups of wave function. How's that for a bargain?

I can actually pass you a cup of electic field!  A sealed box with niobium
inner walls at an appropo low temperature.  Put any desired EM field in there
you like, or any arbitrary number of photons you like.  If you define the field
you can't deternine the number of photons and vice versa.  The QM wavefunction
is not in there however.  Thats still in your head.

Seriously Mayank, If you read my recent posing on QM and Quantum Field theory
and don't yet see the light I suggest that you observe a 10 megaton airburst
at close range as a blindness test.

When you are ready for the eye test it can be arranged! We don't do bursts
in the open air these days but we a few tens of kilotons in tunnel shot
is still definite possibility.  1/2 a :-)