214 research outputs found
Collapse Models
This is a review of formalisms and models (nonrelativistic and relativistic)
which modify Schrodinger's equation so that it describes wavefunction collapse
as a dynamical physical process.Comment: 40 pages, to be published in "Open Systems and Measurement in
Relativistic Quantum Theory," F. Petruccione and H. P. Breuer eds. (Springer
Verlag, 1999
Apparent wave function collapse caused by scattering
Some experimental implications of the recent progress on wave function
collapse are calculated. Exact results are derived for the center-of-mass wave
function collapse caused by random scatterings and applied to a range of
specific examples. The results show that recently proposed experiments to
measure the GRW effect are likely to fail, since the effect of naturally
occurring scatterings is of the same form as the GRW effect but generally much
stronger. The same goes for attempts to measure the collapse caused by quantum
gravity as suggested by Hawking and others. The results also indicate that
macroscopic systems tend to be found in states with (Delta-x)(Delta-p) =
hbar/sqrt(2), but microscopic systems in highly tiltedly squeezed states with
(Delta-x)(Delta-p) >> hbar.Comment: Final published version. 20 pages, Plain TeX, no figures. Online at
http://astro.berkeley.edu/~max/collapse.html (faster from the US), from
http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/~max/collapse.html (faster from Europe) or
from [email protected]
The Fermionic Projector, Entanglement, and the Collapse of the Wave Function
After a brief introduction to the fermionic projector approach, we review how
entanglement and second quantized bosonic and fermionic fields can be described
in this framework. The constructions are discussed with regard to decoherence
phenomena and the measurement problem. We propose a mechanism leading to the
collapse of the wave function in the quantum mechanical measurement process.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures, minor changes (published version
Symplectic geometry of entanglement
We present a description of entanglement in composite quantum systems in
terms of symplectic geometry. We provide a symplectic characterization of sets
of equally entangled states as orbits of group actions in the space of states.
In particular, using Kostant-Sternberg theorem, we show that separable states
form a unique Kaehler orbit, whereas orbits of entanglement states are
characterized by different degrees of degeneracy of the canonical symplectic
form on the complex projective space. The degree of degeneracy may be thus used
as a new geometric measure of entanglement and we show how to calculate it for
various multiparticle systems providing also simple criteria of separability.
The presented method is general and can be applied also under different
additional symmetry conditions stemming, eg. from the indistinguishability of
particles.Comment: LaTex, 31 pages, typos correcte
Generalized stochastic Schroedinger equations for state vector collapse
A number of authors have proposed stochastic versions of the Schr\"odinger
equation, either as effective evolution equations for open quantum systems or
as alternative theories with an intrinsic collapse mechanism. We discuss here
two directions for generalization of these equations. First, we study a general
class of norm preserving stochastic evolution equations, and show that even
after making several specializations, there is an infinity of possible
stochastic Schr\"odinger equations for which state vector collapse is provable.
Second, we explore the problem of formulating a relativistic stochastic
Schr\"odinger equation, using a manifestly covariant equation for a quantum
field system based on the interaction picture of Tomonaga and Schwinger. The
stochastic noise term in this equation can couple to any local scalar density
that commutes with the interaction energy density, and leads to collapse onto
spatially localized eigenstates. However, as found in a similar model by
Pearle, the equation predicts an infinite rate of energy nonconservation
proportional to , arising from the local double commutator in
the drift term.Comment: 24 pages Plain TeX. Minor changes, some new references. To appear in
Journal of Physics
On the Consequences of Retaining the General Validity of Locality in Physical Theory
The empirical validity of the locality (LOC) principle of relativity is used
to argue in favour of a local hidden variable theory (HVT) for individual
quantum processes. It is shown that such a HVT may reproduce the statistical
predictions of quantum mechanics (QM), provided the reproducibility of initial
hidden variable states is limited. This means that in a HVT limits should be
set to the validity of the notion of counterfactual definiteness (CFD). This is
supported by the empirical evidence that past, present, and future are
basically distinct. Our argumentation is contrasted with a recent one by Stapp
resulting in the opposite conclusion, i.e. nonlocality or the existence of
faster-than-light influences. We argue that Stapp's argumentation still depends
in an implicit, but crucial, way on both the notions of hidden variables and of
CFD. In addition, some implications of our results for the debate between Bohr
and Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen are discussed.Comment: revtex, 11 page
The Post-Decoherence Density Matrix Propagator for Quantum Brownian Motion
Using the path integral representation of the density matrix propagator of
quantum Brownian motion, we derive its asymptotic form for times greater than
the localization time, (\hbar / \gamma k T )^{\half}, where is the
dissipation and the temperature of the thermal environment. The
localization time is typically greater than the decoherence time, but much
shorter than the relaxation time, . We use this result to show
that the reduced density operator rapidly evolves into a state which is
approximately diagonal in a set of generalized coherent states. We thus
reproduce, using a completely different method, a result we previously obtained
using the quantum state diffusion picture (Phys.Rev. D52, 7294 (1995)). We also
go beyond this earlier result, in that we derive an explicit expression for the
weighting of each phase space localized state in the approximately diagonal
density matrix, as a function of the initial state. For sufficiently long times
it is equal to the Wigner function, and we confirm that the Wigner function is
positive for times greater than the localization time (multiplied by a number
of order 1).Comment: 17 pages, plain Tex, submitted to Physical Review
Relativistic Restrictions on the Distinguishability of Orthogonal Quantum States
We analyze the restrictions on the distinguishability of quantum states
imposed by special relativity. An explicit expression relating the error
probability for distinguishing between two orthogonal single-photon states with
the time elapsed from the start of the measurement procedure until the
measurement result is obtained by the observer.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure (misprints in formulas corrected
Quantum correlations versus Multisimultaneity: an experimental test
Multisimultaneity is a causal model of relativistic quantum physics which
assigns a real time ordering to any set of events, much in the spirit of the
pilot-wave picture. Contrary to standard quantum mechanics, it predicts a
disappearance of the correlations in a Bell-type experiment when both analysers
are in relative motion such that, each one in its own inertial reference frame,
is first to select the output of the photons. We tested this prediction using
acousto-optic modulators as moving beam-splitters and interferometers separated
by 55 m. We didn't observe any disappearance of the correlations, thus refuting
Multisimultaneity.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, RevTex 4 versio
Consistent Resolution of Some Relativistic Quantum Paradoxes
A relativistic version of the (consistent or decoherent) histories approach
to quantum theory is developed on the basis of earlier work by Hartle, and used
to discuss relativistic forms of the paradoxes of spherical wave packet
collapse, Bohm's formulation of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen, and Hardy's paradox.
It is argued that wave function collapse is not needed for introducing
probabilities into relativistic quantum mechanics, and in any case should never
be thought of as a physical process. Alternative approaches to stochastic time
dependence can be used to construct a physical picture of the measurement
process that is less misleading than collapse models. In particular, one can
employ a coarse-grained but fully quantum mechanical description in which
particles move along trajectories, with behavior under Lorentz transformations
the same as in classical relativistic physics, and detectors are triggered by
particles reaching them along such trajectories. States entangled between
spacelike separate regions are also legitimate quantum descriptions, and can be
consistently handled by the formalism presented here. The paradoxes in question
arise because of using modes of reasoning which, while correct for classical
physics, are inconsistent with the mathematical structure of quantum theory,
and are resolved (or tamed) by using a proper quantum analysis. In particular,
there is no need to invoke, nor any evidence for, mysterious long-range
superluminal influences, and thus no incompatibility, at least from this
source, between relativity theory and quantum mechanics.Comment: Latex 42 pages, 7 figures in text using PSTrick
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