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The Intersectionality Between Buddhism, Consciousness, and Quantum Physics
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Schrödinger’s cat originates from the famous thought experiment querying the counterintuitive quantum superposition of macroscopic objects. As a natural extension, several “cats” (quasi-classical objects) can be prepared into coherent quantum superposition states, which is known as multipartite cat states demonstrating quantum entanglement among macroscopically distinct objects. Here, we present a highly scalable approach to deterministically create flying multipartite Schrödinger’s cat states by reflecting coherent-state photons from a microwave cavity containing a superconducting qubit. We perform full quantum state tomography on the cat states with up to four photonic modes and confirm the existence of quantum entanglement among them. We also witness the hybrid entanglement between discrete-variable states (the qubit) and continuous-variable states (the flying multipartite cat) through a joint quantum state tomography. Our work provides an enabling step for implementing a series of quantum metrology and quantum information processing protocols based on cat states.
The strange behavior of subatomic particles is described by quantum theory, whose standard interpretation rejected some fundamental principles of classical physics such as causality, objectivity, locality, realism and determinism. Recently, a granular relativistic electrodynamical model of the electron could capture the measured values of its observables and predict its mass from the stability of its substructure. The model involves numerous subparticles that constitute some tight nucleus and loosely bound envelope allegedly forming real waves. The present study examines whether such a substructure and associated dynamics allow fundamentally realist interpretations of emblematic quantum phenomena, properties and principles, such as wave-particle duality, loss of objectivity, quantization, simultaneous multipath exploration, collapse of wavepacket, measurement problem, and entanglement. Drawing inspiration from non-linear dynamical systems, subparticles would involve realist hidden variables while high-level observables would not generally be determined, as particles would generally be in unstable states before measurements. Quantum mechanics would constitute a high-level probabilistic description emerging from an underlying causal, objective, local, albeit contextual and unpredictable reality. Altogether, by conceiving particles as granular systems composed of numerous extremely sensitive fluctuating subcorpuscles, this study proposes the possible existence of a local fundamentally realist interpretation of quantum mechanics.
A well-known mystery in quantum mechanics is wave–particle duality: Is an electron a point mass or a physical wave? What is the physical meaning of its wave function? About a hundred years ago, there was a famous debate between Bohr and Einstein on this topic. Their question is still open today. This paper reviews a new theoretical framework to address this problem. Here, it is hypothesized that both photons and electrons are quantized excitation waves of the vacuum, the physical properties of which can be modeled based on the Maxwell theory. Using the method of Helmholtz decomposition, one can show that the wave function of the particle is associated with an electric vector potential called “ Z”, which plays the role of basic field for the excitation wave. Using this framework, the quantum wave equations can be derived based on a quantization of the Maxwell theory. This work suggests that, the quantum wave function truly represents a physical wave; the wave packet looks like a “particle” only in the macroscopic view. Because the vacuum excitation obeys the principle of all-or-none, the probability of detecting this “particle” is related to the wave function as suggested in the Copenhagen interpretation.
The Buddhist teaching on dependent arising (or dependent origination) concerns specific conditions whose presence is indispensable for something to come into existence. In the early stages of Buddhist history, the overarching concern of this doctrine was to identify the specific causes responsible for the human predicament, with a view to bringing about their cessation so as to become liberated. In later times, Buddhist exegesis developed various perspectives on causality, where in Huayan philosophy in particular the notion of interconnectedness or interdependence arose, according to which all phenomena relate to each other in one way or another. Despite its traction in the contemporary setting, this notion needs to be recognized as a later development that is by no means identical with the basic Buddhist teaching on dependent arising.
The observer effect is the fact that observing a situation or phenomenon necessarily changes it. Observer effects are especially prominent in physics where observation and uncertainty are fundamental aspects of modern quantum mechanics. Observer effects are well known in fields other than physics, such as sociology, psychology, linguistics and computer science, but none of these other fields have experienced the same level of publicity and controversy as physics. This may be responsible for the widely held implicit assumption that ``real'' observer effects are exhibited only by quantum objects and not by classical objects. This misunderstanding may be due, to some extent, to confusing the observer effect with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle and with other quantum uncertainty principles. In fact, observer effects occur in both classical and quantum systems. This article presents a number of examples of observer effects in purely classical processes. It also introduces a framework for understanding and analyzing many of such effects for classical systems. Ignoring observer effects can cause errors in experiments at a macroscopic level where no quantum effects would be discernible. Consequently, there are practical reasons for being careful to address observer effects.
Introduction. The complex multifaceted essence of human as a biological, psychological, social being has attracted the attention of researchers and has caused hot debates during centuries. Still now, human being, her/his nature requires a broader understanding in the context of the synthesis of long-standing philosophical, psychological, religious traditions and contemporary sciences. Purpose. This paper aims to explore the phenomenon of human being through the lens of the Eastern philosophy and T. Leary's transpersonal perspective. Methodology. Exploratory research design was used for conducting this study. The author has used philosophical hermeneutics, secondary data collected from reports, journals, and periodicals along with own transpersonal experience. Theoretical basis and results. The essence of Eastern worldview is an awareness of unity and coherence of all things and phenomena. All things are the interdependent and interrelated parts of the One Whole: they are the different manifestations of the same unconditional reality. This is Tao for Taoists, Dharmakaya for Buddhists, Brahman for Hindus. These non-dualistic traditions emphasize: we have to transcend our dual thinking in order to perceive true nature of our inner self and to achieve the state of the absolute unity with everything that exists. " Subject – object " duality is illusory. Being disintegrated from the Oneness, a human is dissociated into different parts. The goal of a new interpretation of a human is to reintegrate these poles and transcend them. Merely theoretical approach to the problem of reintegration is insufficient. Reintegration requires a vivid experience of the " liberation " – the experience of enlightenment. This is a transpersonal experience that overcomes our common perception and goes beyond the usual " body-mind " frame. This experience was breathtakingly described by T. Leary. Experimenting with psilocybin and LSD, T. Leary was astonished that creativity was organically based; that human body contained billions of universes; and that human himself was the movement of various forms of energy. T. Leary proposed his own theory of evolution. Originality. The expansion of human horizons leads us to the new understanding/interpretation of a human being. Bringing the Eastern spiritual traditions, which perceive all objects and phenomena as various interrelated aspects of a single supreme reality, transpersonal psychology and modern sciences together, contemporary philosophers are able to design and develop a new approach to a human that will bridge the gap between different interpretations of a human being. T. Leary's ideas resonate with both quantum physics and the Eastern philosophy. In the 21 st century, T. Leary's ideas are relevant again. Conclusion. The Eastern spiritual teachings and transpersonal experience put the human problem in a completely different context. It induces us to switch from identifying human beings with the body, mind, ego to embracing them as whole organisms interwoven into the fabric of universal entity. This holistic approach, according to which a human is an undivided, alive and organic, ideal and material being, may be seen as a launching pad for a new transdisciplinary paradigm.
In this paper we intend to discuss the importance of providing a physical representation of quantum superpositions which goes beyond the mere reference to mathematical structures and measurement outcomes. This proposal goes in the opposite direction of the orthodox project which attempts to "bridge the gap" between the quantum formalism and common sense "classical reality" --precluding, right from the start, the possibility of interpreting quantum superpositions through non-classical notions. We will argue that in order to restate the problem of interpretation of quantum mechanics in truly ontological terms we require a radical revision of the problems and definitions addressed within the orthodox literature. On the one hand, we will discuss the need of providing a formal redefinition of superpositions which captures their contextual character. On the other hand, we attempt to replace the focus on the measurement problem, which concentrates on the justification of measurement outcomes from "weird" superposed states, and introduce the superposition problem which concentrates instead on the conceptual representation of superpositions themselves. In this respect, after presenting three necessary conditions for objective physical representation, we will provide arguments which show why the classical (actualist) representation of physics faces severe difficulties to solve the superposition problem. Finally, we will also argue that, if we are willing to abandon the (metaphysical) presupposition according to which 'Actuality = Reality', then there is plenty of room to construct a conceptual representation for quantum superpositions.
The notion of nothingness (wu) can be taken as either a cosmological or an ontological concept. As a cosmological concept, it is contrasted with something and the issue is whether there was something or nothing at the beginning of the cosmos. As an ontological notion, it is contrasted with being and is closely associated with such notions as non-being and emptiness. This paper deals with nothingness in the cosmological sense. In Daodejing, ‘wu’ is sometimes used to signify something vague, elusive, formless, shapeless, inaudible, invisible, and nameless. This undifferentiated something, which existed before heaven and earth, is what Laozi calls “Dao.” It can be understood as nothingness since there was no object, no thing, no shape nor form; however, it is not primordial absolute nothingness. Some neo-Daoists as well as neo-Confucians identify this primordial something as “primordial qi” (yuan qi). This paper examines whether there really was primordial absolute nothingness in their cosmogony.
Pa icca samuppāda (dependent arising) is the central philosophical principle of Buddhism, and is most commonly exemplified in the suttas in terms of the twelve nidānas. The ubiquitous interpretation of the twelve nidānas of pa icca samuppāda as taking place over three lives, a religious doctrine explaining the rebirth process, is a commentarial development, not found in the suttas. Recent Theravādin exegetes Bhikkhu Buddhadāsa and Ñā avīra Thera argue for an interpretation of the twelve nidānas of pa icca samuppāda as taking place in the present moment, but Bhikkhu Bodhi disputes the claim that their interpretation is the Buddha's original meaning. Recent work by Vedic scholar Joanna Jurewicz, however, suggests that originally the twelve nidānas were a parody of Vedic cosmogony. This scholarship opens the way for renewed exegesis of pa icca samuppāda liberated from Indian Buddhist metaphysics.
The concept of the self in Western psychology derives primarily from the work of Freud, Jung, and Rogers. To some extent Western formulations of the self evidence a homunculus-like quality lacking in some Eastern conceptions, especially those derived from the Vijnanavada and Zen Buddhist traditions. The Buddhist notion of self circumvents reification, being an impermanent gestalt formed by the interaction of five skandhas or aggregates (form, feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness). Each skandha is in turn a transient pattern formed by the interaction of the other four. The fifth skandha includes eight consciousnesses, one of which results in the experience of the ego or self as homunculus, which Buddhist psychology rejects as delusion. Implications for psychotherapy and everyday life are discussed.
An exploration of the meaning of non-locality is made in physics and thought. It is suggested that non-local correlations may play an essential role within the nature.
We experimentally demonstrate observation of highly pure four-photon GHZ entanglement produced by parametric down-conversion and a projective measurement. At the same time this also demonstrates teleportation of entanglement with very high purity. Not only does the achieved high visibility enable various novel tests of quantum nonlocality, it also opens the possibility to experimentally investigate various quantum computation and communication schemes with linear optics. Our technique can, in principle, be used to produce entanglement of arbitrarily high order or, equivalently, teleportation and entanglement swapping over multiple stages.
Quantum mechanics (QM) is the physics of atoms and their constituents. Under reductionism, QM should provide the solid reality for our world, as Einstein insisted. Instead, quantum properties depend strongly on their observer; they are empty (śūnya) until co-dependently created. So physics provides a time-dependent, co-emergent reality (which I designate reality) reminiscent of śūnyatā.
The superposition principle plays the most central role in all considerations of quantum information, and in most of the “gedanken” experiments and even the paradoxes of quantum mechanics. Instead of studying it theoretically or defining it abstractly, we will discuss here the quintessential experiment on quantum superposition, the double-slit experiment (Fig. 1.1). According to Feynman [1], the double-slit “has in it the heart of quantum mechanics”. The essential ingredients of the experiment are a source, a double-slit assembly, and an observation screen on which we observe interference fringes. These interference fringes may easily be understood on the basis of assuming a wave property of the particles emerging from the source. It might be mentioned here that the double-slit experiment has been performed with many different kinds of particles ranging from photons [2], via electrons [3], to neutrons [4] and atoms [5].
In modern physics the vacuum is not a tranquil void but a quantum state with fluctuations having observable consequences. The present concept of the vacuum has its roots in the zero-point energy of harmonic oscillators and the electromagnetic field, and arose before the development of the formalism of quantum mechanics. This article discusses these roots in the blackbody research of Planck and Einstein in 1912-1913, and the relation to Bose-Einstein statistics and the first indication of wave-particle duality uncovered by Einstein's fluctuation formula. Also considered are the Einstein-Stern theory of specific heats, which invoked zero-point energy in a way which turned out to be incorrect, and the experimental implications of zero-point energy recognized by Mulliken and Debye in vibrational spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction.
Modern studies of Buddhism and Chinese religion often refer to an indigenous Chinese Pure Land 'school' that arose in the medieval period. This school is typically characterized as a distinct tradition with its own teachings and its own line of patriarchs, including Tan-luan (476-542), Tao-cho (562-645), and Shan-tao (612-681). In the Sung, exegetes such as Yung-ming Yen-Shou (904-975) are credited with creating a synthesis of Pure Land teachings and Chan, and the result--'Chan/Pure Land syncretism'--emerged as the dominant form of Buddhist monastic practice form the end of the Sung down through the present day. In this article I argue that there is little evidence of anything resembling an independent or self-conscious Pure Land tradition in medieval China. Pure Land cosmology, soteriology, and ritual were always part-and-parcel of Chinese Buddhism in general and Chan monasticism in particular. Accordingly, there was not need for a 'synthesis' of Pure Land and Chan. the modern conception of a Chinese Pure Land school with its own patriarchate and teachings, and the associated notion of Chan/Pure Land syncretism, are inordinately influence by historical developments in Japan and the enduring legacy of sectarian polemics in contemporary Japanese scholarship.
As a criterion between quantum mechanics and local hidden-variable theories, the so-called Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox is mainly tested in the form of the statistical correlation between polarizations of photons issuing from a cascade transition. It has been stated more than once that an improved form of the test would make use of polarizers, the orientation of which would change randomly in a time comparable with the time of flight of the two photons; the Bell locality assumption could then be replaced by a weaker assumption also considered by Bell: The Einstein principle of separability. However, to our knowledge, no workable experimental scheme has yet been proposed, and we believe the one described in this paper to be a workable one. After explaining the difference between the Bell locality assumption and the Einstein principle of separability, we briefly discuss the theoretical implications of the modified experiment. The overall scheme of the apparatus we are proposing is described, and the generalized Bell inequalities, modified for our case, are derived. As in previous experiments, supplementary assumptions are made in order to derive experimentally testable inequalities. Finally, we describe the device we intend to use to carry out the proposed scheme.
This paper attempts to make intelligible the logic contained in the Diamond Sutra. This 'logic' is called the 'logic of not'. It is stated in a propositional form: 'A is not A, therefore it is A'. Since this formulation is contradictory or paradoxical when it is read in light of Aristotelean logic, one might dismiss it as nonsensical. In order to show that it is neither nonsensical nor meaningless, the paper will articulate the philosophical reasons why the Sutra makes its position in this contradictory form. The thesis to be presented is that as long as one understands the 'logic of not' from a dualistic, either-or egological standpoint, it remains contradictory, but in order to properly understand it, one must effect a perspectival shift from the dualistic, egological stance to a non-dualistic, non-egological stance. This thesis is advanced with a broader concern in mind: to reexamine how the self understands itself, how it understands others, and how it understands its intra-ecological relationship with nature.
I propose in this paper to examine and analyse the concept of śūnyatā as it is expressed in the Hrdaya sūtras of the Buddhist prajñā-pāramitā literature and in the Mū1amadhyamaka-kārikās of Nāgārjuna. I shall attempt to show some of the difficulties involved in seeking an objective referent or counter part for the concept and also in trying to preserve the tension implicit in the affirmation of the middle way. I hope to indicate that the via negativa approach has positive implications for the understanding of śūnyatā and that in the final analysis we may have to look for its meaning in the way it is used.
A comparison of mesonmasses with baryonexcitation energies reveals a common mass-band structure, in which particles with a variety of quantum numbers are grouped together. These quantized
mass values seemingly mandate a constituent-quark (CQ) viewpoint. By studying the meson and baryonyrast states, we can deduce the masses and spin values of some of the constituent quarks. A comprehensive CQ model is presented
that reproduces the observed spectrum of hadrons and leptons. These CQ quarks include the standard u, d, s, c, b set of quarks
as a subset. The quark generation process, which features characteristic mass triplings, is a key ingredient of this CQ model.
All of the constituent-quark masses are formed from a set of three basic masses, two spinning and one spinless, which are
directly related to the masses of the electron, muon, and pion. The mass quantum X=420 MeV is a dominant excitation state
that dictates meson, baryon, and lepton mass values. The quantum X occurs in bothS=0 andS=1 spin configurations, and it serves as a «window» for transformations between orbital and spin angular momenta. The fully
relativistic spinning sphere, with its distinctive 3/2 mass increase, provides an isoergic link between spinless and spinning
excitation quanta. The fine-structure constant α and the charge-splitting quantum ε=9m
e provide links between quarks and leptons. Particle lifetimes and decay modes reflect constituent-quark substructures.
Fluctuons are chains of particle-antiparticle excitations that originate as uncertainty fluctuations of unmanifest vacuum fermions and propagate due to their inability to simultaneously satisfy energy and momentum conservation. It is possible to model a variety of physical phenomena with fluctuons: electromagnetism, gravity, various particle properties, and quantum measurement.
We show how to decompose any density matrix of the simplest binary composite systems, whether separable or not, in terms of only product vectors. We determine for all cases the minimal number of product vectors needed for such a decomposition. Separable states correspond to mixing from one to four pure product states. Inseparable states can be described as pseudomixtures of four or five pure product states, and can be made separable by mixing them with one or two pure product states. [S1050-2947(98)07206-0].
Nothing's plenty the vacuum in modern quantum field theory
- I J R Aitchison
Quantum mechanics without quanta: the nature of the wave-particle duality of light
- H E Puthoff
Dharmakaya: the expression of the numinous in Mahayana Buddhism
- C D Sebastian
Some Questions Concerning the Title of the Praj�?p?ramit?-hr ? daya [-s?tra]
- S Watanabe