the Dead-Alive Physicist experiment - a case-study disproving the hypothesis that consciousness causes the wave-function collapse in the quantum measurement process

Aug 28, 2026

The paper aims to falsify the hypothesis that an observer’s consciousness is necessary for wave-function collapse during quantum measurement. It introduces a variation of Schrödinger’s cat, the Dead-Alive Physicist (DAP) thought experiment, where a human replaces the cat, forcing supporters of the consciousness requirement to face either solipsism or an alternative quantum-mechanics interpretation with a revised role for the conscious observer. The analysis clarifies the relationship between observers and measured experimental objects, with implications discussed later and summarized in the conclusions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Measurement problem and interpretations

The idealistic interpretation and CCCH

The DAP experiment

Setup and goal of disproving CCCH

Title: the Dead-Alive Physicist experiment: a case-study disproving the hypothesis that consciousness causes the wave-function collapse in the quantum measurement process. Authors: Carlo Roselli and Bruno Raffaele Stella (Submitted on 08/06/2020) Abstract: the aim of this paper is to falsify the hypothesis that the observer's consciousness is necessary in the quantum measurement In order to achieve our target, we propose a variation of the Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment called "DAP", short for "Dead-Alive Physicist", in which a human being replaces the cat. This strategy enables us to logically disprove the consistency of the above hypothesis, and to oblige its supporters either to be trapped in solipsism or to rely on an alternative interpretation of quantum mechanics in which the role of the conscious observer has to be reviewed. Our analysis hence provides support to clarify the relationship between the observer and the objects of her/his experimental observation; this and a few other implications are discussed in the fourth section and in the conclusions. Keywords: the measurement problem in quantum mechanics, quantum superposition of macroscopically distinguishable states, Schrödinger’s cat, Wigner's friend, observer’s consciousness, wave-function collapse. Comments: 9 pages and 2 figures. Category: quantum-ph. Comments on the authors: Carlo Roselli, independent researcher and also deviser of the experimental setup; e-mail address:<[beswick@tiscali.it](beswick@tiscali.it)>; telephone: +39-3335217868; +39-068543272. Bruno Raffaele Stella, corresponding author, prof. at Dipartimento di Fisica Università Roma Tre and INFN Roma Tre, retired and still active in DESY laboratory in the H1 experiment on quantum cromo-dynamics, e-mail addresses: , <[brunoraffaelestella@gmail.com](brunoraffaelestella@gmail.com)>; telephone: +39-3332753639; +39-0688642035; ORCID: 0000-0002-5729-8210. 1 Introduction The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics (QM) does not explain how measurements take place. This gives rise to some thought-provoking demonstrations, usually called“paradoxes”, such as the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR)[1], Schrödinger’s Cat[2] and Wigner’s friend experiments, which render questionable the theory’s claim to completeness, unless one assumes that consciousness plays a fundamental role in the implementation of the quantum measurement process. Eugene P. Wigner (1902-1995), following the books published in 1932 and 1955 by the mathematician John von Neumann[3-4] (1903-1957) and a little book published in 1939 by the physicists Fritz London and Edmond Bauer[5], developed an argument in favour of the consciousness assumption, leading to the thesis of the wave-function (WF) collapse at biologicalmental level, here more simply called "idealistic interpretation of QM" .1 This paper proposes an unprecedented version of the Schrödinger’s cat and Wigner’s friend experiments with the sole purpose of disproving the consistency of the idealistic interpretation of QM. We use the term “idealistic” to refer to the Copenhagen [Niels Bohr (1905-1962)] view of atomic phenomena taken to the extreme. This view asserts that measurements occur, but without providing an explicit definition of the boundary which separates quantum from classical worlds. This omission gives rise to the so called "measurement problem" with the theory, which weakens its claim to completeness. Indeed, the Copenhagen interpretation is not the only possible interpretation of QM that is subject to this problem which, in more general terms, may be considered as that of defining a satisfactory transition process between micro-systems characterized by quantum state uncertainty and macro-systems obeying the deterministic laws of classical physics. From the 1930's onwards, the measurement problem has been at the centre of a scientific-philosophical debate with the purpose of establishing how (or whether) the coll

FAQs

What hypothesis does the paper target in the quantum measurement problem?

It targets the hypothesis that the observer’s consciousness is necessary for the wave-function collapse to occur during quantum measurement.

What is the DAP thought experiment proposed in this paper?

The DAP (Dead-Alive Physicist) experiment is a variation of Schrödinger’s cat where a human being replaces the cat, designed to challenge the consistency of the consciousness-causes-collapse view.

What conclusions does the analysis aim to force on supporters of the consciousness assumption?

The paper argues that supporters are pushed toward either solipsism or adopting an alternative interpretation of quantum mechanics in which the role of the conscious observer must be reconsidered.

Aug 28, 2026

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