• bunchberry
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    19 days ago

    Mirage particles are also quite interesting. If you analyze a quantum circuit under the Two-State Vector Formalism, which is mathematically equivalent to the standard formalism, it seems to describe particles that suddenly appear sometimes on certain paths in the experiment and then later disappear. Avshalom Elitzur has defended taking them seriously because they have real effects on things.

    One example he provides is a circuit whereby, in the traditional formalism, a free-floating mirror seems to experience a sudden pull for seemingly no reason. But, under TSVF, you get a mirage particle that appears on that path of the mirror with negative mass, and that particle reflects off of the mirror, and it gives an inverted momentum kick, so it pulls the mirror rather than pushes it.

    Interesting stuff.