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Quantum Foundations
Expectation-Realization Interpretation of Quantum Superposition
arXiv
Authors: Yanting Wang
Year
2025
Paper ID
17564
Status
Preprint
Abstract Read
~2 min
Abstract Words
167
Citations
N/A
Abstract
By comparing Schrödinger's cat with its classical counterpart, I show that a quantum superposition should be understood as an expectation over possible eigenstates weighted by wave-like probabilities. Upon the occurrence of a certain event, the quantum system is randomly realized into one of the possible eigenstates due to its intrinsic stochasticity. While the randomness of a single realization cannot be controlled or predicted, the overall distribution can be regulated via experimental setup and converges as the number of events increases. A measurement is indeed an activity employing a certain event to convert a quantum effect into a macroscopic outcome. Consequently, the puzzling concepts of wavefunction collapse, many worlds, and decoherence become unnecessary for understanding quantum superposition. This expectation-realization interpretation, which integrates probability theory with wave mechanics, can also be extended to quantum pathways. Moreover, it reframes tests of Bell's inequalities as validating the wave-like probability nature of quantum mechanics, with no need to invoke the mysterious notions of quantum non-locality and "spooky action at a distance".
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- By comparing Schrödinger's cat with its classical counterpart, I show that a quantum superposition should be understood as an expectation over possible eigenstates weighted by...
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