How Observation Changes Chaos express
The quantum world is full of surprises: even simply observing a particle changes its behavior. In a new study, physicists showed that continuously measuring energy can make quantum chaos more pronounced. They used a quantity that indicates how long a quantum state remains similar to itself under repeated measurements.
It turned out that with ideal measurements (when every outcome is known exactly), chaos is enhanced compared to the no-measurement case. This is because measurements destroy quantum correlations that usually smooth out chaotic behavior.
Such an effect could be useful for creating new quantum technologies where one needs to control chaos or, conversely, harness it.
Even in the classical world, observation can affect a system: for example, a thermometer immersed in water slightly changes its temperature.
In Greg Egan's novel 'The Permutation City', characters explore worlds where the laws of physics depend on observation.