The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics — Season 1, Episode 10: Decoherence Explains Branching Worlds

Episode synopsis

Focus on decoherence, which does the same work in Many-Worlds as the collapse of the wave function in the Copenhagen Interpretation. Both explain what happens when a measurement is made, but in Many-Worlds the mechanism is more consistent with the underlying physics. Then, see how decoherence is the gateway to multiple branching worlds, which differ from the cosmological idea of the multiverse.

About The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics

One universe is not enough. Learn about the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics in this exciting course taught by a renowned expert, Sean Carroll.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Why Suppose There's More Than One World?
• E2The Classical Physics World That Never Was
• E3Quantum Worlds Start With Waves and Particles
• E4A Wave Function to Describe Particles
• E5Copenhagen Says the Wave Function Collapses
• E6Is the Wave Function Real?
• E7Uncertainty in Action With Spin and Qubits
• E8Quantum Entanglement and Action at a Distance
• E9Entanglement Leads to Many Worlds
• E11How Entanglement Powers Quantum Computers
• E12Too Many Worlds! Five Objections Answered
• E13Testing the Many-Worlds Interpretation