Physics Research Conference
East Bridge 201 (Richard P. Feynman Lecture Hall)
Can quantum mechanics be valid on large scales?
Renato Renner,
Professor for Theoretical Physics and head of the research group for Quantum Information Theory,
ETH Zurich,
Although quantum mechanics is sometimes said to be our best tested physical theory, almost all experiments are restricted to microscopic systems. It is therefore still an open question whether quantum mechanics, without modifications, accurately describes macroscopic (e.g., human-size) objects. In this talk, I tackle this question from a theorist's perspective, i.e., with a thought experiment. Combining ideas from Wigner, Bell, and Hardy, I show that there exist scenarios where quantum mechanics yields a set of predictions that are mutually contradictory.
For more information, please contact Sheri Stoll by phone at 395-6608 or by email at [email protected] or visit http://pmaweb.caltech.edu/~physcoll/PhysColl.html.
Event Series
Physics Research Conference