[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Speculative Question... any suggestions?

[Martin C. Martin]

Hi Jack,

Thank you for a very interesting paper. QM isn't my area, so please excuse me if what follows is uninformed.

In the conclusion you state:

> This study supports the thesis that Schrödinger’s equation involves fields with charge and mass distributed as the normalized intensity function.

However, in a [Mach-Zehnder interferometer,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach%E2%80%93Zehnder_interferometer) when we send a single electron through and measure how much charge goes down each branch, e.g. using a pickup coil on each branch, we only ever find that all of it went down one path or the other, we never measure a fraction of an electron charge in either branch.

This property is used in an [Elitzur–Vaidman bomb tester](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elitzur%E2%80%93Vaidman_bomb_tester). In one path potentially has a bomb that is maximally sensitive: if it detects even the smallest amount of charge or mass in that path, it absorbs it and detonates. However, with high probability, we can determine the presence or absence of the bomb without blowing it up.

To me, this suggests that, while something seems to be traveling through both arms of the bomb tester, we can't think of it as distributed charge or mass.

In your email you say "quanta must be divisible, but that this divisibility is always hidden, since quanta can only be detected as whole units." In what sense are they divisible if we can never observe them divided, but instead only as whole units?

Outside of state collapse aka measurement, it is my understanding that phenomena behave as waves. It is only during state collapse that things are detected as whole units, and this is the essence of the wave-particle duality (acting as divided outside of collapse, and a whole unit right after collapse.)

Forgive me if I've misunderstood your point.

What is the experiment you wish to run?

Best,
Martin
On Monday, April 14th, 2025 at 9:44 AM, Jack Mroczkowski via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us> wrote:

> Good Morning Fellow Scientists/Technologists in LCTG
> As an outcome of fundamental physics work published in AIP's Advances, I have come to what some might describe as a heretical belief that quanta ("particles" or light) must be divisible, but that this divisibility is always hidden, since quanta can only be detected as whole units.
> A conceptually simple experiment could verify this thesis indirectly, and I would love to have the opportunity to do this in partnership with a small business that has the necessary equipment. The first steps would be to 1. Convince a partner business the experiment has merit. 2 Write a 2 page proposal to an agency that provides seed funding like NSF.
> I have attached a copy of my recent research, published in February, that was partly responsible for the idea.
> I am retired living in Bedford MA. The only reasons for doing this is scientific curiosity and hopefully to advance science. Does anyone know a small business that might be a candidate?
> Regards
> Jacek Mroczkowski (PhD)
> Member of LCTG
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