From: Robin Hanson (rhanson@gmu.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 07 2003 - 11:22:47 MDT
FYI, it will be published:
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Foundations of Physics 33(7), July 2003. arxiv.org/quant-ph/0108070
When Worlds Collide:
Quantum Probability From Observer Selection?
by Robin Hanson
In Everett's many worlds interpretation, quantum measurements are considered
to be decoherence events. If so, then inexact decoherence may allow large
worlds to mangle the memory of observers in small worlds, creating a cutoff
in observable world size. Smaller world are mangled and so not observed.
If this cutoff is much closer to the median measure size than to the median
world size, the distribution of outcomes seen in unmangled worlds follows
the Born rule. Thus deviations from exact decoherence can allow the Born
rule to be derived via world counting, with a finite number of worlds and
no new fundamental physics.
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Robin Hanson rhanson@gmu.edu http://hanson.gmu.edu
Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
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