Unified Quantum Dynamics: The Emergence of the Born Rule

Abstract

While the Born rule is traditionally introduced as a separate postulate of quantum mechanics, we show it emerges naturally from a modified Schrödinger equation that includes "small-signal truncation". This parallels the way quantum decoherence gives rise to the branches of the multiverse in the "Many-Worlds Interpretation", eliminating the need for a separate measurement postulate. Our approach thus offers a unified framework in which both the emergence of multiple branches of the multiverse and their statistical properties follow from a single fundamental law of motion. We model "small-signal truncation" in a somewhat stylized manner, but we argue that the precise details of its underlying physical mechanism do not affect the emergence of the Born rule.