Gravity vs. Superposition: Why the World Isn't Blurred ✎ express

Original: "Spontaneous wave function collapse from non-local gravitational self-energy"
arXiv:2512.15393 · 2025-12-17 · arXiv non-exclusive · independent analysis · 1 min
Gravity forces objects in quantum superposition to choose one definite state almost instantly, the heavier the object, the faster the choice.

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In the quantum world, an object can be in several places at once. Yet in everyday life we see things strictly in their places. The reason is gravity. A massive star under its own weight inevitably collapses into a black hole or a neutron star, but it can't be both at the same time. Similarly, a heavy body in quantum superposition loses its fuzziness: its own gravity makes a dual state impossible.

An equation combining the ideas of Schrödinger and Newton showed that spacetime curvature conflicts with superposition. The probability wave collapses, and the collapse time is inversely proportional to mass — heavy systems acquire definiteness almost instantly.

The more massive the object, the faster nature forces it to "make up its mind"—just like a massive load breaking through thin ice.

A surprising twist: superposition generates two conflicting versions of spacetime geometry, and this incompatibility triggers an immediate choice. Even in the falling elevator of Einstein's thought experiment, weightlessness doesn't help — the accumulated mismatch inevitably leads to the same outcome. Thus gravity turns the fuzzy quantum world into a stable reality.

If the Moon could exist in quantum superposition, its own gravity would collapse the uncertainty in billionths of a second.

t \propto \frac{1}{M}
t is the collapse time, M is the system's mass
Scientists
David DeutschErwin SchrödingerJohn Stewart BellLouis de BroglieLov GroverPaul Benioff
Concepts
Wave Function Collapse Penrose singularity theorem gravitational decoherence self interaction gravitational collapse newtonian gravity classical gravity newtonian limit second derivative inverse square law Newton's second law free fall spacetime curvature locality Goldstone's theorem singularity nonlinear interaction quantum bounce tidal force supergravity