KOAN: Will Schrodinger kill the cat?

What's the physics behind the Schrodinger's Cat thought experiment (zmescience.com)

KOAN: Nansen Kills the Cat

Roshi Philip Kapleau | Zen Bow | Winter 2018, Vol. XL, No. 4, rzc.org

Shōkei (Andreas Praefcke/Wiki)

Here is a vintage koan ("public case") commentary by the Rochester Zen Center’s founder, the late American Roshi Philip Kapleau. Mumonkan, Number 14. [It presages countless college discussions about Schrodinger's cat below.]

The Case

Once the monks of the Western and Eastern Halls were arguing about a cat. Nansen, holding up the cat, said: “You monks! If you can say a word of Zen, I will spare the cat. Otherwise, I will kill it!”

No one could answer, so Nansen cut the cat in two. That evening, when Joshu returned, Nansen told him of the incident. Joshu thereupon took off his sandal, put it on his head, and walked off.

Nansen said, “If you had been there, the cat would have been saved!”

The Commentary

Just say, what is the real meaning of Joshu’s putting his sandal on his head? If you can give a turning word on this point, you will see that Nansen’s action was not in vain. But if not, beware!

The Verse

Had Joshu only been there,

he would have taken charge.

He would have snatched away the sword,

and Nansen would have begged for his life.

Roshi Kapleau: The two protagonists of this koan, Nansen (748-835) and Joshu, are two of the great masters in Zen. Nansen (Chinese Nanchuan) was the teacher of Joshu (Chinese Zhaozhou). Nansen in turn was a disciple of the great Baso (Chinese Mazu). More: rzc.org

Experiment: Schrödinger Kills a Cat?

In quantum mechanics, Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment (just as koans are like more shocking than historical reporting) concerning quantum superposition.

The experiment shows it's not true.

In this thought experiment, a hypothetical cat (and not the precious companion of Wisdom Quarterly's companion fish, Captain Shiny Sides, no relation to Hecklefish Moriarty of The Why Files) in a closed box may be considered to be simultaneously both alive and dead until it is observed, as a result of its fate being linked to a random subatomic event that may or may not occur. The thought experiment, viewed this way, is described as a paradox.

It is not alive but not quite dead?

It was devised by physicist Dr. Erwin Schrödinger in 1935 [1] in a discussion with Albert Einstein [2] to illustrate what Schrödinger saw as the problems (inconsistencies and contradictions) of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics.

In Schrödinger's original formulation, a cat, a flask of poison, and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box.

If an internal radiation monitor, such as a Geiger counter, detects radioactivity (a single atom decaying), the flask is shattered, releasing the poison, which kills the cat.

But if no decaying atom triggers the monitor, the cat remains alive.

The Copenhagen interpretation implies that the cat is therefore simultaneously both alive and dead.

Yet, when one finally looks in the box, one sees that the cat is either alive or dead, not both alive and dead.

This poses the question of when exactly quantum superposition ends and reality resolves into one possibility or the other. More

Most people don't get Schrodinger's Cat (including you?)

(Looking Glass Universe) Nov. 7, 2024: A 4-week live course will run from Jan. 6-31. More info here: looking-glass-universe.teacha... This is the third video of a series on quantum mechanics. The rest of the playlist is here: Quantum mechanics course

• Looking Glass Universe, Nov. 7, 2024; Roshi Kapleau, Rochester Zen Center (rzc.org); Brian Cox via Explainify; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly