A quantum method to test the existence of consciousness

Transcription

1 A quanum mehod o es he exisence of consciousness Gao Shan The Scieniss Work Team of Elecro-Magneic Wave Velociy, Chinese Insiue of Elecronics -0, NO.0 Building, YueTan XiJie DongLi, XiCheng Disric Beijing 00045,.R.China gaoshan.iqm@63.ne Inroducion As we know, "Who can be said o be a conscious being?" is one of he hard problems in presen science, no sric physical mehod has been found o differeniae he conscious being from he being wihou consciousness or usual maer. In his paper, we will presen a sric physical mehod based on revised quanum dynamics o es who can be said o be a conscious being, he principle is o use he disinguishabiliy of nonorhogonal single saes. Revised quanum dynamics As o he evoluion of he wave funcion during quanum measuremen, presen quanum heory provides by no means a complee descripion. The projecion posulae is jus a makeshif, while he concree dynamical process of he projecion is undoubedly one of he mos imporan unseled problems in quanum heory. Recenly he resuling revised quanum dynamics ( Ghiradi e al, 986; earle, 989; Diosi, 989; Ghiradi e al, 990; enrose, 996; Gao, 999a; Gao, 000b; Gao, 00b ) are deeply sudied, in which he linear evoluion equaion of he wave funcion is replaced by sochasic linear or nonlinear equaion. resenly, even if he las heory has no been found, bu one hing is cerain for he revised quanum dynamics, i.e. he collapse process is one kind of dynamical process, i will ake a finie ime inerval o finish. Our mehod in his paper only relies on his common characer of revised quanum dynamics. The mehod o es he exisence of consciousness Now, we will demonsrae how o es he exisence of consciousness in he framework of revised quanum dynamics. The concree mehod is o use he disinguishabiliy of nonorhogonal single saes ( Gao, 999b; Gao, 000a; Gao, 000b; Gao, 00a). As we know, he usual measuremen using physical measuring device can' disinguish he nonorhogonal single saes in revised quanum dynamics, as well as in presen quanum heory. Bu, if he physical measuring device is replaced by a conscious being, we will demonsrae ha i may disinguish he nonorhogonal single saes in he framework of revised quanum dynamics. Thus he exisence of consciousness can be esed by use of his physical mehod. We assume he saes o be disinguished are he following nonorhogonal single saes ψ, he iniial percepion sae of he conscious being is χ 0. Then afer ineracion

2 he corresponding enangled sae of he whole sysem is respecively ψ χ ψ χ χ, where χ χ is respecively he percepion sae of he observer for he saes ψ. We assume he observer saisfies he QSC condiion ( Gao Shan, 999b; Gao Shan, 000a), i.e. he percepion ime of he observer for he definie sae ψ χ, which is denoed by, is shorer han he dynamical collapse ime for he superposiion sae ψ χ χ, which is denoed by, he ime difference = - is large enough for he observer o idenify. Then he observer can perceive he measured sae ψ or his own sae χ afer ime inerval, while for he measured superposiion sae ψ, only afer he ime inerval can he observer perceive he collapse sae ψ or ψ, or his own corresponding sae χ or χ. Since he observer can also be conscious of he ime difference beween, he can easily disinguish he measured nonorhogonal single saes ψ ψ. Thus he disinguishabiliy of he nonorhogonal single saes can be used as a quanum mehod o es he exisence of consciousness. Furher discussions In order o unders he unusual conclusion, we will furher analyze he above demonsraions. As we know, i is sill unclear ha wha he percepion of he observer in he enangled sae ψ χ χ is. Alber had analyzed he similar siuaion in deail (Alber, 999b). He called such quanum observer John. He concluded ha John's percepion is no he same as χ χ, denoed ha he percepion may be very srange. In he following, we will furher demonsrae ha he above conclusion is irrelevan o he concree percepion of he observer in he superposed sae. Firs, we assume ha only afer he collapse he definie percepion abou he inpu superposiion sae can appear, which is a well-acceped fac in quanum mechanics Since he observer can be aware of his percepion insan, he can also be aware of he collapse insan. Then I should be noed ha, since he collapse ime of a single superposiion sae is an essenially sochasic variable, which average value is c, we should consider he sochasic disribuion of he collapse ime in a sric sense, i.e. a small number of single saes is needed for pracical applicaion. In he following discussions, we always simply ake he collapse ime as he average value unless sae oherwise. c

3 when he observer saisfies he above assumed QSC condiion, he awareness of collapse insan will permi him o disinguish he inpu saes ψ. Secondly, we assume ha he above well-acceped fac is no rue, i.e. he observer can have some definie percepion abou he inpu superposiion sae before he collapse happens. Now we will demonsrae ha he observer can also be aware of he collapse insan for his siuaion, hus he observer can also disinguish he inpu saes ψ when saisfying he QSC condiion. (). If he definie percepion of he observer in he superposed sae ψ χ χ is neiher χ nor χ, hen he observer can be aware of he collapse insan, since afer he collapse insan he percepion urns o be χ or χ, which is differen from ha before he collapse insan, he observer can be aware of he change of his percepion. (). If he definie percepion of he observer in he superposed sae ψ χ χ is χ, hen due o he romness of he collapse resul, he observer can sill be aware of he collapse insan for one half of he siuaions, since afer he collapse insan he percepion will urn o be χ wih probabiliy /. (3). If he definie percepion of he observer in he superposed sae ψ χ χ is χ, he demonsraion is he same as ha of (). (4). If he definie percepion of he observer in he superposed sae ψ χ χ is rom, i.e. one ime is χ, anoher ime is χ, hen due o he independen romness of he collapse process, he observer can sill be aware of he collapse insan wih non-zero probabiliy, since he percepion afer he collapse insan will be differen from ha before he collapse insan wih non-zero probabiliy. Thus we have demonsraed ha if only he observer saisfies he QSC condiion, he can disinguish he measured nonorhogonal single saes. The conclusion is irrelevan o he concree percepion of he observer in he superposed sae. The raionaliy of QSC condiion Lasly, we will demonsrae ha he QSC condiion is no irraional, can be saisfied in essence, i.e. here should exis some kind of conscious beings saisfying he condiion in Naure. Firs, he percepion ime of he conscious being is mainly deermined by he srucure of his percepion par, while he dynamical collapse ime of he observed superposiion sae during percepion is mainly deermined by he energy involved for percepion. I is eviden ha he This presumpion may be exremely impossible. 3

4 srucure energy for percepion can deermine each oher uniquely, or we can say, hey are relaively independen. Thus he corresponding percepion ime dynamical collapse ime are also relaively independen. Then i is naural for some kind of conscious beings he above QSC condiion is saisfied, for oher conscious beings he above QSC condiion is no saisfied. Secondly, wih he naural selecion he srucure of he percepion par of he conscious being will urn more more complex, he percepion ime will urn shorer shorer. On he oher h, he energy involved for percepion will urn less less, he dynamical collapse ime will urn longer longer. Then here will appear more conscious beings saisfying he QSC condiion wih he naural evoluion 3. In one word, i is reasonable ha QSC condiion is saisfied by some kind of conscious beings, i.e. for some kind of conscious beings he percepion ime for he definie sae ψ is shorer han he percepion ime or dynamical collapse ime of he perceived superposiion sae ψ, he ime difference is large enough for he conscious beings o idenify. Thus even if our human being can no saisfy his condiion, oher conscious beings may saisfy his condiion. In fac, some evidences have indicaed ha our human being can saisfy his condiion (Duane e al, 965; Grinberg-Zylberbaum e al, 994), for example, he subjecs can hold he superposiion sae for a long ime, say a leas several minues, in he experimens performed by Grinberg-Zylberbaum e al (Grinberg-Zylberbaum e al, 994). This denoes ha he collapse ime of he superposiion sae, which is he same as he holding ime of he superposiion sae, is much longer han he percepion ime, which is generally in he level of milliseconds. Conclusions We show ha he conscious being may disinguish he nonorhogonal single saes when saisfying he QSC condiions, while he physical measuring device can'. This indicaes ha he disinguishabiliy of nonorhogonal single saes can be used o es he exisence of consciousness. References Alber,D. (99), Quanum Mechanics Experience (Harvard Universiy ress, Cambridge, Mass) Diosi, L. (989), Models for universal reducion of macroscopic quanum flucuaions, hys. Rev. A, 40, pp Duane, D Behrend,T. Exrasensory Elecroencephalographic Inducion Beween Idenical Twins, (965), Science, 50, 367 Gao Shan (999a), The collapse problem can be ackled in erms of new moion of paricle, LANL e-prin physics/ Gao Shan (999b), How o realize quanum superluminal communicaion?, LANL e-prin quan-ph/ Gao Shan (000a), Revised quanum dynamics permis superluminal communicaion, 3 Owing o he availabiliy of superluminal communicaion, saisfy ing he QSC condiion will be undoubedly helpful for he exisence evoluion of he conscious beings. 4

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