Quant um Mechanics : A Simple V niverse with Quantum Uncertainty

A bstract . An artificial universe is defined th at has entirely deterministic laws with exclusively local interactions, and th at exhibits the funda mental quantum uncert ainty phenomenon: superposed states mutually interfere, but only to the extent that no observat ion dist inguishes among them. Showing how such a universe could be elucidates interpret ational issues of act ual quant um mechanics. The art ificial universe is a much-simplified version of Everett 's real-world model, th e so-called mu ltiple-worlds formu lati on of quan tum mechanics. In the art ificial world , as in Everett 's model, the trade-off between interference and observat ion is deducible from the universe formalism. Art ificial-world examples ana logous to the quant um double-slit experiment and th e Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EP R) experiment are presented.