The death of Schrodinger's cat and of consciousness-based quantum wave-function collapse

Abstract

The implications arising from the "Schrödinger's cat" thought experiment have led some authors to argue that observation of a measurement by a conscious observer is required to collapse quantum wave-functions. Here we combine Schrödinger's experimental paradigm with a system for splitting the information about the quantum state between two observers, thereby allowing distinct outcomes to be recorded without either observer knowing the state of the measured quantum event. Our results imply that to collapse a quantum wave-function, measurement alone, rather than conscious observation of a measurement, is sufficient.