The Collapse Of The Wave Function Through Systemic Functional Linguistics [1]

Gribbin (1989: 230-1):

Quantum physicists have some nice phrases to describe all this.  They say that there is a wave of some sort associated with an electron.  This is called the "wave function," and it is spread out, in principle, to fill the Universe.  Schrödinger's equation describes these wave functions and how they interact with one another.  The wave function is strongest in one region, which corresponds to the position of an electron in everyday language.  It gets weaker farther away from this region but still exists far away from the "position" of the electron.  The equations are very good at predicting how particles like electrons behave under different circumstances, including how they will interfere with one another when they, or the wave functions, pass through two slits.  When we look at an electron, or measure it with a particle detector, the wave function is said to "collapse."  At that instant, the position of the electron is known to within the accuracy allowed by the fundamental laws.  But as soon as we stop looking, the wave function spreads out again and interferes with the wave functions of other electrons — and, under the right circumstances, with itself.

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From the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory, the wave that is "associated with an electron" — its wave function — construes its potential.  The "interaction" of wave functions construes the ensemble of quantum potentials for a given situation.

The "strongest region" of the wave function construes the most probable position of an electron for a given situation.  The "weaker regions" of the wave function construe less probable positions of an electron for a given situation.

Wave functions do not pass through slits, since they construe potential electron positions only.  Only particles, instances of that potential, can be construed as passing through slits, with each particle passing through one slit or the other, not both.

When "we look at an electron" we are construing an instance of potential; the "collapse of the wave function" construes an instantiation of quantum potential.  When "we stop looking" there is no construal of experience — no construal of an instantiation of potential.