Non-local Gravity Enables Wave Function Collapse, Resolving Tension Between Key Quantum Principles
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The fundamental principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity clash when considering how gravity influences quantum superpositions, and a new investigation explores this tension by examining the role of gravitational self-energy. Kimet Jusufi of State University of Tetovo, Douglas Singleton of California State University, Fresno, and Francisco S. N. Lobo of Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, demonstrate that incorporating non-local gravitational self-energy into the Schrödinger-Newton equation leads to an inherent instability in quantum superpositions. This work reveals that such superpositions inevitably collapse, arising from a fundamental conflict between the equivalence principle and the superposition principle within a semiclassical spacetime. Importantly, the team shows that this collapse occurs spontaneously and at a rate determined solely by the mass of the system, offering a potential resolution to the long-standing measurement problem in quantum mechanics and providing a model-independent mechanism for wave function collapse.
This research demonstrates that incorporating non-local gravitational self-energy into the Schrödinger-Newton equation leads to an inherent instability in these superpositions, revealing that they inevitably collapse. This collapse arises from a fundamental tension between the equivalence principle and the superposition principle within a semiclassical spacetime, offering a potential resolution to the long-standing measurement problem in quantum mechanics.,. Quantum Gravity via Non-Local Self-Energy Scientists have developed a novel approach to investigate the interplay between quantum mechanics and gravity by incorporating non-local gravitational self-energy into the Schrödinger-Newton equation, motivated by principles of string-inspired T-duality. This work posits that spacetime possesses an inherent non-locality, suggesting standard quantum mechanics is an approximation valid only in the absence of gravitational effects. Researchers derived a quantum-corrected static interaction potential, resulting in a propagator exhibiting conventional massless behavior at small momenta but introducing exponential suppression at large momenta, effectively addressing ultraviolet divergences. Analysis revealed that wave functions computed in inertial and freely falling frames differ due to a gravitationally induced phase shift, producing a global phase change and leading to a spontaneous collapse time inversely proportional to the mass of the system. By employing T-duality, the team formulated a non-local gravitational theory with a regularized gravitational potential, describing particle mass not as strictly localized but as smeared out and defined by a quantum-corrected energy density. This framework suggests that spacetime itself becomes inherently uncertain at short distances due to gravitational effects, providing a potential link between quantum mechanics and general relativity.,.
Gravity Induces Quantum Wave Function Collapse Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in understanding the interplay between quantum superposition and gravity, demonstrating that gravitational effects inevitably induce wave function collapse. The research incorporates non-local gravitational self-energy, inspired by string theory’s T-duality, into the Schrödinger-Newton equation, revealing that standard quantum mechanics is an approximation valid only in the absence of gravitational influences. By inverting conventional logic and assuming the validity of superposition, the team demonstrated that such superpositions become unstable when gravity is considered. Calculations of this gravitational self-energy reveal a complex relationship dependent on the mass, position, and a fundamental length scale, leading to a phase factor in the wave function. Further analysis, employing both Newtonian and Einsteinian perspectives, reveals a phase difference between the branches of a superposition, establishing a natural emergence of the solution from a non-singular Schrödinger-Newton equation where gravitational acceleration is not well-defined at very short distances. The research provides a new and elegant justification for gravity-induced wave function collapse, resolving the tension between the superposition principle and the equivalence principle.,. Non-locality Resolves Quantum Gravity Divergences This work demonstrates how incorporating non-local gravitational self-energy, motivated by string theory, into the Schrödinger-Newton equation leads to a consistent framework where spacetime itself exhibits non-locality at short scales. The resulting modifications to the standard equation successfully remove short-distance divergences present in previous models and yield a gravitationally induced phase shift in the quantum state, alongside a spontaneous collapse time inversely proportional to the mass of the system. This collapse does not rely on assumptions about mass distributions or cutoff radii commonly used in other approaches, instead emerging from a fundamental tension between the superposition principle and the equivalence principle. Importantly, the research establishes a connection between fluctuations in spacetime geometry and the positional uncertainty of quantum superpositions, suggesting that classical spacetime loses meaning at the same scale at which superpositions become unstable. The analysis also predicts distinct gravitational phases when comparing inertial and freely falling frames, offering a potential observable signature of this underlying non-local structure. The resulting collapse timescale, which decreases with increasing mass, provides a dynamical explanation for the quantum-to-classical transition, differing from explanations reliant on environmental decoherence. 👉 More information🗞 Spontaneous wave function collapse from non-local gravitational self-energy🧠 ArXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15393 Tags: