Retrocausality (Reverse Causality): Today Effects the Past
70Quantum Mechanics Issues: retrocausality
Retrocausality, Time Travel, and Quantum Physics
Birth, Live, Die = Here and Now - Past, Present and Future = Now
The notion of causality has long been associated with the concept of an arrow of time: the effect of an event can only be felt after the event, that is, a cause precedes its effect. In a retrocausal situation the effects of an event are felt before the event.
The implication hinges upon the idea of “retrocausality,” also called “backward causation” or “backward causality.” Advanced physics experiments might suggest that observations made in the present exist in a kind of causal loop with the past. That is, how we look at things at Time B has an effect on a previous Time A, which then flows back into Time B.
Such are the perils of retrocausality, the idea that the present can affect the past, and the future can affect the present. Strange as it sounds, retrocausality is perfectly permissible within the known laws of nature. It has been debated for decades, mostly in the realm of philosophy and quantum physics.
Quantum Physics: No Obvious Common-Sense
Richard Feynman, famously noted that a positron behaves exactly like an electron traveling backwards in time. Others have expanded on his observation with very interesting results. Perhaps these particles even go back in time all the way to the big bang, to affect the fundamental nature of our universe.
In quantum mechanics, an advanced wave, which propagates backward in time, has been usually ignored, as they were considered to be unphysical. Nevertheless, in the sciences of life, advanced waves may permit to answer some of the major mysteries and paradoxes.
Retrocausality has also been proposed as a mechanism to explain purported (pseudoscientific?) effects. Most notably, parapsychologist Helmut Schmidt presented quantum mechanical justifications for retrocausality, eventually claiming that experiments had demonstrated the ability to manipulate radioactive decay through retrocausal psychokinesis.
Open topics in physics, especially involving the reconciliation of gravity with quantum physics, suggest that retrocausality may be possible under certain circumstances. Closed timelike curves, in which the world line of an object returns to its origin, arise from some exact solutions to the Einstein field equation. Although closed timelike curves do not appear to exist under normal conditions, extreme environments of spacetime, such as a traversable wormhole or the region near certain cosmic strings, may allow their formation, implying a theoretical possibility of retrocausality. (see above geometric shape that curves in on itself)
Quantum Mechanics Explains the Membranes Holding Universe Together
· Macro Cosmology (Quantum Mechanic Laws)
· Standard Model (Newton Laws) - Suspect Quantum Mechanics here too…
· Nano (Quantum Physics Laws)
The exotic matter or topological defects required for the creation of those environments have not been observed. In addition to the conventional interpretation of quantum mechanics in terms of states that evolve forwards in time in accord with strong, or strict, causality, the formalism of quantum mechanics also permits an interpretation in terms of retro-evolving states. The formula for calculating probabilities of measurement outcomes in the latter interpretation is mathematically equivalent to that used in the conventional interpretation. Consequently the retro-evolving state interpretation does not change any of the results of experiments predicted by the conventional interpretation, even though the associated retrocausality violates some of the notions of strong causality.
Related Science Topics of Interest:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Microwave-Hyper-Quanta-Faster-Than-Light
http://hubpages.com/hub/Macroverse-VS-Microverse
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Concept-of-the-Mind-Directing-Energy-in-Physics-Zero-Point-Energy-Field
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-are-Fractals-Why-Important
http://hubpages.com/hub/Retrocausality-Reverse-Causality-Today-Effects-the-Past
http://hubpages.com/hub/newbook
http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-Is-Noetics-Important
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MartieCoetser, Our "reality" - when we observe a electron for example - prior to our observation it is everywhere at once. The act of observing "nails" it to a given "probable" position... The target is everywhere at once... Each time the electron is converted from "energy" to an electron it released about 1/2 watt... there is tremendous energy surrounding us...
Newtonian laws do not apply in quantum physics... There is no required "cause and effect..." Electrons appear,and disappear.
Hitting the target would require an infinite number of baseball bats swung an infinite number of times to hit something that is everywhere at the same time. If you located the electron and picked up your bat to swing at it, it may be anywhere, or "nowhere" when you try locate again to "nail" down for an instant... AKA, "The observer principle..."
It would be like trying to herd cats!
I love that you looked up and read Feynman...
Within this universe, time is an unknown...and yet the theory of Einstein as it applies here is measured only with the speed of light as a basis..
What if there is something that moves faster than the speed of light?
We cannot reverse the linearity of time in this universe...each moment of consciousness being a stamp of time that we can go back to and erase at will.
We have quantum physics, quantum mechanics now because it is what our minds can at least accept...relate to.
A provocative hub.
I suspect there is "something that travels faster than the speed of light." Given there is a rotational law of physics where you have a gravity constant (function of mass) and the "balance" of falling toward central object (ex. earth rotating around sun)..there is a direct correlation of the distance from the sun for instance and the speed of the rotating object. However in deep space everything is rotating at the same speed! It defies Newtonian Laws as we know them... It does not matter how far the mass is from the center object that is being rotated around...
Now, to more confuse the notion of Newton's Laws, everything is accelerating away from a given position... This defies Newton's Law of the "Big Bang" theory... Things should be slowing down... Got a cup of coffee? I need to think some more...
You might want to look at Alex's last hub. He has a link for a paper..
msorensson, Thanks! It checked the noted hub. Great hub. Lots to "wrap your mind around."
I like this kind of highly intelligent conversation, it gets my motor going, but I can only say, thank you. :0)
LillyGrillzit,
There is much more..
Thanks for your comments!
I don't believe it... this reverse causality that is. Sure Feynman used it to great effect to simplify QED, and you can use it to reason about very real things like tunnel diodes, and single-photon double-slit experiments... but I don't think that the logical conclusion that a photon or any massless particle is everywhere at once hold credibility. It's a useful tool mathematically for sure.
If you consider more than 3 dimensions of space, then there are alternative ways to speculate about these results rather than invoking time-loops.
You see, to make a time-loop, you need to cross infinity which is nonsense. Here is the logic behind that:
The energy in a system is given by E = ymc^2 where gamma (y) is 1/(sqrt(1-(v^2)/(c^2))
v is the velocity of an object under study. c is the cosmic speed limit. Any object with intrinsic mass travels at v, where v is less than c and may be accelerated towards c. However, as v approaches c, gamma tends to infinity. This is an asymptomatic approach and there is no way to cross that asymptote. If you did, then it would be like crossing infinity. In the case of a massless particle, c=v and gamma is essentially in an undefined state. This is not equivalent to saying that it is everywhere at once.
Massless particles are assigned energy from their momentum multiplied by c. The only speed a massless particle can travel is c, otherwise it has to be totally absorbed and then re-emitted as one or multiple particles at different energies that sum to the energy of the absorbed photon.
Using extra dimensions, you can postulate that something like a photon (or a small mass like an electron) pops in and out of our world like you would repeatedly thrust a skewer into a loaf of bread. Each time, your aim would be a little off, but each time is has a definite position and the total stabbing escapade would cluster around your desired target. If you were a bread-dwelling being with no knowledge of the outside, and an inability to discriminate individual stabbing entries in space and time (just as HUP states for us), then these stabbings would appear to do weird things. The stabbings could do particle-like stuff, but also be spread over time. Some experiments the bread-dwelling people could do might conclude similar backwards-time results that we toy with in QM.
In the case of the tunnel diode in our world, one treatment of it suggests that an electron leaves before it enters. But a proper QM wave treatment shows that what really happens is the leading edge of the wave (the first few stabbings) bunch up and appear on the other side of an energy barrier before the peak of the arriving wave hits the barrier. This does not require time-loops.
I enjoyed your comments. There is much to learn and to understand. I do not undewrstand how the intent can be measured before the event - for example...
MartieCoetser Level 8 Commenter 20 months ago
I almost got it, but then I became confused again! It really seems to me that researchers of quantum just don’t manage to hit the target. It is like trying to put the tail of the pig where it should be while blindfolded. There is a pig, and there is a place for its tail, but – forgive me if I’m wrong – they just don’t manage to get the tail where it belongs. Thanks for another interesting hub about this subject. I know I will get it... someday.