Speaker
Description
Upper-level undergraduate courses in relativity and quantum mechanics are often taught independently, with limited opportunity for students to explore the conceptual interplay between the two frameworks. In this talk, we present a classroom-accessible thought experiment based on entangled spin-$\tfrac{1}{2}$ systems in reflected Rindler frames that exposes a fundamental tension between quantum measurement and relativistic simultaneity.
By introducing this scenario after covering accelerated motion, the equivalence principle, and Rindler coordinates, students are led to confront an ambiguity in the global ordering of measurements that results in conflicting predictions across observer perspectives when standard measurement assumptions are applied. This provides a natural entry point for discussing the role of interpretation in quantum mechanics and highlights limitations of commonly taught collapse-based frameworks.
We discuss how this paradox can be incorporated into upper-level curricula to deepen student understanding of both relativity and quantum mechanics, and to motivate critical engagement with foundational questions that are often omitted from standard courses.
