How Does Symmetry Impact Quantum Effects and Reality Transition?

[Distant]

As someone returning to a study of physics after many years, I would appreciate any help and comments on my unresolved questions after reading “popular science” type information regarding quantum effects.

In considering (that old chestnut!) the “twin slit” experiment to demonstrate the quantum interference effects of photons, I guess many people try to formulate their own explanation of the observed results of this experiment.

For what it’s worth, my model seems to have ended up having two sorts of ‘worlds’. The ‘real’ world in which we can observe time, movement, events and so forth – and the ‘quantum world’. In the twin slit experiment this ‘quantum world’ is first entered when a photon is emitted from the source (laser) and is exited when a photon appears on the viewing screen (camera or whatever).

The intrinsic difference between these two worlds seems to be that the ‘real’ observed world consists of actualities whereas the ‘quantum world’ consists of possibilities (or probabilities). These possibilities are very happy to remain in the ‘quantum world’ (co-exist?) until they exit their world to become an actuality in the ‘real world’.

Now to the core of my question! One of the atomic principles in maths and physics is that of symmetry, in a very simple and basic sense that it is the natural order of things until an outside influence acts to create an asymmetry. Now, viewing the quantum wave propagation of the photon from the source, it seems to emanate nice and symmetrically in all directions – passes equally through both slits and produces a perfectly symmetrical interference based probability distribution on the screen. The quantum maths is perfectly symmetrical.

So, when it gets to “crunch time” and a photon decides to appear as an actuality on the screen, this symmetry is suddenly and dramatically lost. It has a probability to appear at certain points on the screen, but it can only appear at a specific point. What is this extra “outside influence” acting on the system at this point which manifests this asymmetry? I do realize the definition of a probabilty contains the answer, but I feel the source and mechanism that manifests the effect of this probability outcome is not clear.

My second, and related question relates to the transition between (my!) ‘quantum world’ and ‘real world’. It seems that ‘movement’ of photons in spacetime is fine in the quantum world – happy to remain as multiple possibilities. So exactly which ‘events’ – (like absorption of a photon by an atom?) preclude the system from staying in the ‘quantum world’ and force it to become an actuality. This seems to me to relate to an event that could potentially be observed. Does anyone have a list of types of events that could ‘potentially’ be observed? If an event is ‘potentially’ observable, does it flip from the ‘quantum world’ to the ‘real world’ instantaneously or is there a transitional state?

For those ‘real physicists’ please forgive my rather none scientific terminology and also (as I suspect) that these questions have been asked many times before.

 

[azntoon]

I hope my questions are clear enough for some help and/or comments from you experts. Many thanks in advance.

 

[denian]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and questions on the topic of symmetry in quantum effects. I can provide some insights and comments to help clarify some of your unresolved questions.

Firstly, it is important to note that the concept of symmetry is a fundamental principle in physics, and it plays a crucial role in understanding the behavior of particles and systems at the quantum level. In the context of quantum mechanics, symmetry refers to the invariance of physical laws and properties under certain transformations, such as rotations or reflections. This means that the laws of physics and the properties of particles should remain the same even if we change our perspective or frame of reference.

In the case of the double-slit experiment, the symmetry you observe in the wave propagation of the photon is due to the inherent symmetry of the system itself. The photon, being a quantum particle, can exist in multiple states or possibilities at once, and this is reflected in the wave-like behavior of its probability distribution. However, when the photon is observed at a specific point on the screen, this symmetry is broken, and a single actuality is observed. This is because the act of observation itself introduces an outside influence on the system, causing it to collapse into a single state. This phenomenon is known as the "measurement problem" in quantum mechanics and is still an area of active research and debate.

To answer your second question, the transition from the "quantum world" to the "real world" is not a sudden or instantaneous event. It is a gradual process, and the exact point at which it occurs is still a topic of discussion. In general, the transition happens when the system interacts with its environment, causing it to lose its coherence and become entangled with other particles. This can happen through various types of interactions, such as absorption by an atom, or detection by a measuring device.

In summary, the concept of symmetry is crucial in understanding quantum effects, but it is also important to recognize that the breaking of symmetry is an essential aspect of the quantum world. The collapse of the wave function and the transition from possibility to actuality are still areas of active research, and there is no definitive answer to your questions at this time. However, by continuing to explore and question the nature of quantum mechanics, we can continue to deepen our understanding of this fascinating and mysterious realm of physics.