Australian National University Associate Professor Andrew Truscott (L) with Ph.D. student Roman Khakimov.
Credit: Stuart Hay, ANU
Source: The Mind Unleashed
According to a well-known theory in quantum physics, a particle’s behavior changes depending on whether there is an observer or not. It basically suggests that reality is a kind of illusion and exists only when we are looking at it. Numerous quantum experiments were conducted in the past and showed that this indeed might be the case.
Now, physicists at the Australian National University have found further evidence for the illusory nature of reality. They recreated John Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment and confirmed that reality doesn’t exist until it is measured, at least on the atomic scale.
Thought-provoking findings
Some particles, such as photons or electrons, can behave both as particles and as waves. Here comes a question of what exactly makes a photon or an electron act either as a particle or a wave. This is what Wheeler’s experiment asks: at what point does an object ‘decide’?
The results of the Australian scientists’ experiment, which were published in the journal Nature Physics, show that this choice is determined by the way the object is measured, which is in accordance with what quantum theory predicts.
“It proves that measurement is everything. At the quantum level, reality does not exist if you are not looking at it,” said lead researcher Dr. Andrew Truscott in a press release.
The experiment
The original version of John Wheeler’s experiment proposed in 1978 involved light beams being bounced by mirrors. However, it was difficult to implement it and get any conclusive results due to the level of technological progress back then. Now, it became possible to successfully recreate the experiment by using helium atoms scattered by laser light.
Dr. Truscott’s team forced a hundred of helium atoms into a state of matter called Bose-Einstein condensate. After this, they ejected all the atoms until there was only one left.
Then, the researchers used a pair of laser beams to create a grating pattern, which would scatter an atom passing through it just like a solid grating scatters light. Thus, the atom would either act as a particle and pass through one arm or act as a wave and pass through both arms.
Thanks to a random number generator, a second grating was then randomly added in order to recombine the paths. This was done only after the atom had already passed the first grate.
As a result, the addition of the second grating caused interference in the measurement, showing that the atom had traveled both paths, thus behaving like a wave. At the same time, when the second grating was not added, there was no interference and the atom appeared to have traveled only one path.
The results and their interpretation
As the second grating was added only after the atom had passed through the first one, it would be reasonable to suggest that the atom hadn’t yet ‘decided’ whether it was a particle or a wave before the second measurement.
According to Dr. Truscott, there may be two possible interpretations of these results. Either the atom ‘decided’ how to behave based on the measurement or a future measurement affected the photon’s past.
“The atoms did not travel from A to B. It was only when they were measured at the end of the journey that their wave-like or particle-like behavior was brought into existence,” he said.
Thus, this experiment adds to the validity of the quantum theory and provides new evidence to the idea that reality doesn’t exist without an observer.
Scientists have no concept of what the real is because they ask all the wrong questions.
You have the correct questions?
My mind can’t even fathom this. Now I’m going to be thinking about this….. What is reality?
Lol
Please, Mullins, try to behave yourself. LOL, indeed – a quiet snigger will suffice.
Makes sense. I try not to look at reality all the time….
…said no blind person ever
I am blind myself. And I think this is false! Ha ha
Grizzly Adams but if you are blind then how do you really know for sure of reality? Whos to say what you are experiencing actually exists? Im not arguing Im just curious and was wondering if you could explain your point of view better because I think you have a unique perspective on this subject.
Mick Farrell dnt really understand aww this stuff but what a head fuck it is ??
because this page doesn’t understand it themselves how it works. They just spew out crap they heard about without really studying it
“nothing is there! until you see it!” really misleading
Yes – but what is the object here – the truth – or to confirm misdirection. Sad.
Brooke Hopwood
Confirmed: REALITY IS OVER-RATED…
Learned about this in chemistry 3 years ago
Recognize the value of this piece..
Mind: BLOWN.
Fivos Gouzios Alexandros Milopoulos
that’s actually FALSE are you saying if no one is there to see a tree then the tree is not there? LOL NO . IF this page KNOWS anything about the observer effect due to quantum decoherence of 2 different wavelengths between 2 different spectrums of matter held together by a graviton causes REALITY to collapse. This has been proven by the double slit experiment over and over again. THE observer effect ONLY works when you have 2 lights of the same wavelength like a laser. MACRO objects WILL be there even if you’re not there to observe it, sorry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_decoherence
I fell down a rabbit hole again,didn´t i!.
is this real???
Justice Christopher Ogno
So if clumsy ol me smacks into a tree I dint see… sumthing which clearly didn’t even exist in my reality… who’s responsible for that?
Line up for your red pill lmao
Jasmine Moreno
Well dang
Lol until the bills come rolling in.
Consciousness may have an effect on certain particles. But energy still exists as vibration all around us even when not observed. The take from this shouldn’t be that nothing exists unless observed, it should be that consciousness appears to reach out in some way and have an effect.
Yep
I am going to look and look and look at money
Yea! Humour – and Reality!
That is a distortion of the quantic theory.
Isaac Logan
What you think Leon McLaughlin
Reality is different for everyone depending on the individuals perception of the world. Which is different for everyone. So the phrase; you create your own reality, is accurate! 🙂
So the book and film on The Secret. It’s entirely legit?
Peter Netes is this that show you were talking about a while back?!
There are as many versions of reality as there are people interpreting the reality: Is Life a Virtual Reality Game, Illusion Or Dream? https://wp.me/p5EGgc-7qW
If you never read anything else I post, this the one you should read. It has the most profound implications. If you are not familiar with the double slit experiment, this is a piggy back to that experiment. The movie matrix was based on this concept.
Marcio Durigon vc já tinha falado disso!
Puxa, aquele dia eu tinha tomado uns goles a mais e achei que ninguém tivessem me levado a sério, hehehe
Lembro bem :))
so blind people can walk in front of trains? (nonsense) science is being used to perpetuate delusion nowadays. sad.
Not necessarily. If other people are present and observing then reality still is existing.
ok if no one else was there. still nonsense.
How do the physicists define reality? First it should known what exactly they are measuring, as reality is subjective. Thus, that would have to be clarified as a starting point.
So I guess if a tree falls in the forest and nobody’s around it, there is no sound! That’s one age old question answered.
There is a difference between a “sound” – something that exists only in the perception – and the acoustic waves that result from a tree falling.
Here’s another twist – the acoustic waves could be used to activate a microphone connected to a recorder, and listened to later – say for Xmas – for special fun! The sound of a tree falling in the forest that nobody heard. Spooky!!!
Honestly – the phoney headlines and bad science in this publication are going to finish it off. Prediction – they will then blame “SCIENCE” in their last edition.
Patrycia Oliveira se lembra q agente coverso um pouco sobre isso e vc tava me explicando um pouco =)
There is no reality without consciousness. Consciousness creates reality, how do you think this whole universe got here? All by itself?
Reality is what we call our (imperfect and partial) perception of the universe.
In relation to this exact article and experiment it is also stated in other articles citing this, that matter doesn’t exist until it is measured, and measurement is “everything”. Sounds like quite the conundrum. If matter / reality doesn’t exist until you measure it, how can you first exist (reality part), to measure it (matter), in the first place, or in other words, how can something exist to measure if you have not yet observed it therefore there could be nothing to measure? How can you know what to measure if like anyone, I can measure many things with my eyes closed or without “observing” anything. Also who EXACTLY must be doing this ‘observation’ required by this nonsense? Reminds me of the age old: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound….This whole notion of reality being an illusion or matrix is beyond annoying to me. Punch any of these physicsists in the mouth, then tell him / her no worries, that isn’t blood, that’s not pain you’re feeling and that tooth you ‘think’ you’re missing, well pay no mind to any of it, it’s all just an illusion because my eyes were closed when I punched you, are still closed, and there’s no one else in the room and no mirror for you to observe that split lip, bloody mouth and missing tooth you say that you swallowed…