Russell Standish wrote: > On Fri, Oct 13, 2006 at 07:03:18AM -0000, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > Also see my reply to Russell below: > > > > > > >Russell Standish > > > > > >The Multiverse is defined as the set of consistent histories described > > >by the Schroedinger equation. I make the identification that a quantum > > >state is an observer moment, and the set of consistent quantum > > >histories is the set of observer histories. As such all observer > > >moments are in the Multiverse. > > > > > >But I appreciate this is not a widely held interpretation... > > > > > > Indeed so. And there's a good reason why it isn't a widely held > > interpretation, as J.barbour explained in 'The End Of Time'. In order > > to define 'the Multiverse' in terms of QM one needs a *static* > > wave-function solution for the entire universe (one which doesn't > > change) , whereas conventional QM solutions to real world problems are > > *dynamic* wave-function solutions (wave functions which evolve with > > time). No one has yet succeeded in demonstrating a static > > wave-function solution for the entire universe. > > > > I haven't read Barbour's book, but if that is what he is saying, he > would be wrong. Consider a universe of a single electron living in a > potential well
Where does the potential well come from? >V(x)=|x|^2, x\in R^3. There is a well defined solution > \psi(t,x) = \sum_j <\psu_0|j><j| exp(-iE_j t) given the initial > condition \psi_0. > > The function \psi: R x R^3 -> C is a static (time independent) > mathematical object (I wrote it the mathematicians write to emphasize > this point). Why wouldn't you identify this with the Multiverse of > that electron? > > Now I am aware that several people (Hawking included I gather) have > proposed various "wave functions of the universe", which tend to be > solutions of the Wheeler de Witt equation, which is a time independent > equation. However, I'm not so interested in following that literature. That is roughly the approach Barbour takes. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
