Appendix A. Wave Packet Network Theory

Since the early days of quantum theory, the concept of wave function collapse has been looked upon as mathematically unquantifiable, observer-dependent, non-local, or simply inelegant. Consequently, modern interpretations of quantum theory often try to avoid or make irrelevant the need for wave collapse. This is ironic, since experimental quantum physics requires some variant of wave collapse wherever quantum phenomena interact with the classical universe of the observer. The paper "Quantum-Inspired Simulative Data Interpretation: A Proposed Research Strategy" (MITRE Pubic release 10-3164) proposes a pragmatic view in which wave function collapses are treated as real phenomena that occur in pairs. Paired collapses occur when two wave packets exchange real (vs. virtual) momentum-carrying force particles such as photons. To minimize reversibility, such pairs must be separated by a relativistically time-like interval. The resulting Wave Packet Network (WPN) model resembles a network of future-predictive simulations (wave packets) linked together by occasional exchanges of data (force particles). Each data exchange "updates" the wave packets by eliminating the need for them to "consider" some range of possible futures. While constructed around theories such as Feynman's path integral formulation of Quantum Electrodynamics, WPN is original and differs in a number of non-trivial ways from most interpretations of quantum theory. This appendix overviews the main assumptions of WPN, describes how they differ from other interpretations, and suggests several interesting and testable physical implications.