Information-Induced Quantum Measurement: Entropy Production and the Dynamical Origin of Wavefunction Collapse

The quantum measurement problem arises from the coexistence of unitary Schr¨odinger evolution with the apparent nonunitary collapse of quantum states during observation. Despite extensive theoretical development, no consensus has been reached on a microscopic physical mechanism for state reduction within standard quantum theory. In this work, we present a complete dynamical theory of quantum measurement in which wavefunction collapse emerges from irreversible information transfer and entropy production in realistic system–detector–environment interactions. Starting from microscopic Hamiltonian models, we derive a stochastic nonlinear evolution equation for conditioned quantum states without introducing additional axioms or phenomenological parameters. We demonstrate that the effective collapse rate is uniquely determined by environmental entropy production and remains well-defined in thermal, non-Markovian, chaotic, and zero-temperature regimes. Using stochastic calculus and martingale theory, we establish the dynamical emergence of the Born probability rule and prove almost-sure convergence of measurement trajectories to definite outcomes. The theory exhibits robust many-body amplification, universal behavior in nonlinear detectors, and mathematical well-posedness in both finite- and infinite-dimensional settings. Compatibility with algebraic quantum field theory, renormalization theory, and stochastic semiclassical gravity is established, ensuring consistency with relativistic and high-energy physics. Extensive numerical simulations confirm analytical predictions, and a comprehensive experimental program is proposed, together with rigorous validation and replication protocols. Logical analysis demonstrates compatibility with Bell nonlocality, resolution of Wigner’s friend and Frauchiger–Renner paradoxes, and compliance with information-theoretic constraints. These results provide a unified physical explanation of quantum measurement as an emergent nonequilibrium process governed by universal thermodynamic and informational principles, integrating state reduction into the standard dynamical framework of physics.