• @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    221 days ago

    could a record like this be used as a presence detector? Like if there was any observer who collapsed the wave function then we’d get the collapsed lines in the log, otherwise it would have indicated no observers? (obviously even what the hell is an ‘observer’ anyway?)

    • Rhaedas
      link
      fedilink
      921 days ago

      A log is an observance itself. Any measurement changes the state.

        • @MrPoopbutt
          link
          English
          521 days ago

          You observe the result, not the experiment while it is running.

        • @CluckN
          link
          English
          421 days ago

          They say, “I’m not peeking” but cross their fingers behind their back.

        • @cynar
          link
          English
          120 days ago

          We can observe the end result. E.g. observing the screen only, and you get wavelike behaviour. When you also observe the slit, the wavelike behaviour disappears, and it seems particle like.

          Both end in an observation, 1 has an extra observation.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            120 days ago

            yeah so if I looked at a log of all that, wouldn’t I have a “extra observer” detector, then?

            • @cynar
              link
              English
              220 days ago

              You could detect decoherence in the system, that doesn’t indicate a human observer, however.

              That process is, however, used to protect cryptographic keys, transfered between banks. A hostile observer collapses the state early. The observer gets the key instead of the 2nd bank, which is extremely conspicuous to both banks.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          021 days ago

          It is “guessed” using whatever mathematical model that matches the system.

          Of course, if our whole theory is wrong, then the guess will be wrong and we won’t know unless some condition arises where the predicted result and the observed result are different.

    • @cynar
      link
      English
      421 days ago

      Observer here doesn’t mean the same as the layman meaning. It’s anything that interacts with the system while it’s developing.

      Interestingly, it actually can be used for a presence detector, at least in a sense. You can use it to transfer cryptographic information. If no-one is listening in, about half your sent numbers are wrong, but you can agree on what ones. However, if someone is listening in, all your data gets randomised.

      They actually now use this system to transfer information between banks. They send a random stream of 0s and 1s over a fibre optic cable. They then send (semi publicly) which bits made it properly. If someone spliced into the fibre, they would get the encryption data, but the target bank would not! They know instantly that something is wrong.

    • Justin
      link
      fedilink
      English
      221 days ago

      Yes. This is how motion detectors work. Normally, motion detectors have an IR emitter that acts as a particle, but when someone walks by, the IR emitter works as a wave, triggering the motion detector.

      Notably, this doesn’t work with dogs, as they have no souls.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        121 days ago

        Notably, this doesn’t work with dogs, as they have no souls.

        Which kind of motion detectors? The ones I know work on everything that’s moving, including my cats (don’t have dogs) or even just throwing something past it

        • Justin
          link
          fedilink
          English
          321 days ago

          Oh, you might have one of the newer ones that use interferometry to detect soulless entities.