From: scerir (scerir@libero.it)
Date: Wed Sep 04 2002 - 11:10:09 MDT
gts:
I pose this philosophical question: "Is true and certain immortality
achievable in principle for you and me given the problem of quantum
tunneling?"
A 'philosophical' answer would be: the quantum tunneling effect is not
completely understood. Not just because in standard QM 'time' is a
parameter, not a dynamical variable (an 'observable', a 'proper' time).
But also because there is no general method of solving the tunnelling
time, due to the (arbitrary) assumption of those 'well' localized (and
transmitted) wave packets.
If, in the future, we'll be able to treat time as a dynamical variable
(an 'observable' of the system) we could also expect an interference
pattern for the probability distribution of the 'time' observable, similar to
the well known interference pattern for the probability distribution of
the 'position' observable (i.e. in the double-slit). It would be nice to test
such
a 'time' interference, in example by means of some 'quantum' clock. But this
is philosophy. Correction, this is perhaps fiction.
robert:
I don't think we know enough about the long term hazards in the
universe to know whether that will be a requirement for "immortality"
(within the limits of current physical laws).
Exactly.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:16:42 MST