Jonathan Gorard: Quantum Gravity & Wolfram Physics Project
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
00:00
Illegal Superposition of Vacuum States in Quantum Mechanics
According to the equivalence principle, conducting the same experiment in an accelerating frame should produce the same wave function as in a stationary frame. However, in relativistic quantum mechanics, a phase factor depending on time to the power four appears, indicating a superposition of two different vacuum states. This violates a fundamental axiom of quantum mechanics, as superposing vacuum states leads to a lack of a uniquely defined Hamiltonian and energy, making it inherently illegal in quantum mechanics to create such superpositions.
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