The Thermodynamic Origin of Wavefunction Collapse: Deriving the GRW Parameter from Reversibility Costs
Abstract
The Measurement Problem in quantum mechanics arises from the tension between the linear, unitary evolution of the Schrödinger equation and the non-linear, stochastic collapse observed during measurement. Spontaneous Collapse theories (such as Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber, GRW) resolve this by postulating a fundamental collapse frequency lambda. However, standard GRW treats lambda as a new constant of nature without an underlying mechanism. In this paper, we derive the collapse parameter from the Dual-Primitive Ontology. We posit that macroscopic superpositions are computationally unstable due to the Reversibility Cost Theorem. When the complexity of a superposition exceeds a critical threshold Nc, the Asymmetric Causation (AC) field triggers a stochastic reduction to minimise the thermodynamic cost of history tracking. We derive a complexity-dependent collapse rate lambda(C) proportional to epsilon(C) and demonstrate that for microscopic systems, lambda approaches 0 (recovering standard Quantum Mechanics), while for macroscopic systems, lambda diverges, ensuring objective classicality.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 28 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint