Wang, Xing (2025) Quantum Measurement Without Collapse or Many Worlds: The Branched Hilbert Subspace Interpretation. [Preprint]

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Abstract

We propose the Branched Hilbert Subspace Interpretation (BHSI) as an alternative perspective on quantum measurement. BHSI describes measurement as a unitary branching of the local Hilbert space into decoherent, independent, and unitarily evolving subspaces, while updating observer states (through their equipment) by causally engaging and disengaging operators. Unlike the Copenhagen Interpretation (CI), BHSI avoids wave function collapse while maintaining the Born rule through the branch weights associated with the initial system state. Unlike the Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI), BHSI sidesteps parallel worlds by entangling branches with the local environment within a single world. We compare BHSI’s features with those of CI, MWI, and Bohmian Mechanics (BM). We investigate its implications for the double-slit experiment, Bell tests, Wigner's friend, black hole radiation, and the delayed-choice quantum eraser. We examine quantum teleportation, demonstrating that locally controlled decoherence and recoherence processes (CDRP) can be observed. Specifically, we suggest experiments using modern Stern-Gerlach interferometers (SGI) to visualize the CDRP, measure branch weights that encode the Born rule, and predict the electromagnetic (EM) phase shift resulting from the independent unitary evolution of decoherent branches. BHSI thus provides a minimalist alternative to interpretations based on collapse or many-worlds.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Wang, Xing shermanw2009@gmail.com 0000-0001-8673-925X
Keywords:	quantum foundations; measurement problem; unitary branching; Born rule, subspace decoherence.
Subjects:	General Issues > Philosophers of Science Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User:	Dr. Xing M. Wang
Date Deposited:	27 Jun 2025 14:25
Last Modified:	27 Jun 2025 14:25
Item ID:	25832
Official URL:	https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.14791
DOI or Unique Handle:	https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.14791
Subjects:	General Issues > Philosophers of Science Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date:	26 June 2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25832

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