[Avodah] Bechirah - Scientific Proof it exists???

[Micha Berger]

The Physics Arxiv, put out by MIT's journal Technology Review, carried
a story yesterday about Quantum Mechanics and Free Will.

    Wednesday, August 25, 2010
    Quantum Entanglement Can be a Measure of Free Will
    The same experiments that reveal the nature of entanglement can also
    be interpreted as a measure of free will, say researchers.
    <http://technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25665>

QM has this weird feature (among many many others) called
entanglement. Two particles made in the same event will have related
properties. For example, because angular momentum has to be conserved,
the spin of one would have to be the opposite of the spin of the other,
if we started out with no spin. However, according to QM, properties only
exist in a statistical sense until measured. So, when two particles are
created in one event, and I measure one of them, that could determines
the corresponding property in the other. To continue the example,
when I measure the spin on A, that shifts particle B's spin from being
statistical to being definite.

It turns out (experimentally proven) that this happens instantaneously --
actually at the same time, not limited by the speed of light.

Well, the paper
    How much free will is needed to demonstrate nonlocality?
    Jonathan Barrett, Nicolas Gisin
    (Dated: August 24, 2010)
    <http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1008/1008.3612v1.pdf>
proves that if there is any information shared by the experimenters and
the particles they are to measure, then entanglement can be explained
by some kind of hidden process that is deterministic.

IOW, someone near A and someone near B MUST be capable of acting entirely
independently in how they choose to measure A or B respectively in order
for QM to work out as experiment has shown. Independently of each other,
and independently of the particles. (And of anything influenced by the
other person or the particles, and so on...)

So, either QM is flawed, or bechirah chafshi has been proven.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The Maharal of Prague created a golem, and
micha at aishdas.org        this was a great wonder. But it is much more
http://www.aishdas.org   wonderful to transform a corporeal person into a
Fax: (270) 514-1507      "mensch"!     -Rav Yisrael Salanter