Abstract
It is a commonplace to claim that quantum mechanics supports the old idea that a tree falling in a forest makes no sound unless there is a listener present. In fact, this conclusion is far from obvious. Furthermore, if a tunnelling particle is observed in the barrier region, it collapses to a state in which it is no longer tunnelling. Does this imply that while tunnelling, the particle can not have any physical effects? I argue that this is not the case, and moreover, speculate that it may be possible for a particle to have effects on two spacelike separate apparati simultaneously. I discuss the measurable consequences of such a feat, and speculate about possible statistical tests which could distinguish this view of quantum mechanics from a “corpuscular” one. Brief remarks are made about an experiment underway at Toronto to investigate these issues.
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Steinberg, A.M. (1998). Can a Falling Tree Make a Noise in Two Forests at the Same Time?. In: Hunter, G., Jeffers, S., Vigier, JP. (eds) Causality and Locality in Modern Physics. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 97. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0990-3_51
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0990-3_51
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