Dynamical Semigroup Description of Coherent and Incoherent Particle-Matter Interaction

The meaning of statistical experiments with single microsystems in quantum mechanics is discussed and a general model in the framework of non-relativistic quantum field theory is proposed, to describe both coherent and incoherent interaction of a single microsystem with matter. Compactly developing the calculations with superoperators, it is shown that the introduction of a time scale, linked to irreversibility of the reduced dynamics, directly leads to a dynamical semigroup expressed in terms of quantities typical of scattering theory. Its generator consists of two terms, the first linked to a coherent wavelike behaviour, the second related to an interaction having a measuring character, possibly connected to events the microsystem produces propagating inside matter. In case these events breed a measurement, an explicit realization of some concepts of modern quantum mechanics ("effects" and "operations") arises. The relevance of this description to a recent debate questioning the validity of ordinary quantum mechanics to account for such experimental situations as, e.g., neutron-interferometry, is briefly discussed.Comment: 22 pages, latex, no figure

Realism and the wave-function

Realism -- the idea that the concepts in physical theories refer to 'things' existing in the real world -- is introduced as a tool to analyze the status of the wave-function. Although the physical entities are recognized by the existence of invariant quantities, examples from classical and quantum physics suggest that not all the theoretical terms refer to the entities: some terms refer to properties of the entities, and some terms have only an epistemic function. In particular, it is argued that the wave-function may be written in terms of classical non-referring and epistemic terms. The implications for realist interpretations of quantum mechanics and on the teaching of quantum physics are examined.Comment: No figure

Poincare gauge invariance and gravitation in Minkowski spacetime

A formulation of Poincare symmetry as an inner symmetry of field theories defined on a fixed Minkowski spacetime is given. Local P gauge transformations and the corresponding covariant derivative with P gauge fields are introduced. The renormalization properties of scalar, spinor and vector fields in P gauge field backgrounds are determined. A minimal gauge field dynamics consistent with the renormalization constraints is given.Comment: 36 pages, latex-fil

Quantitative wave-particle duality and non-erasing quantum erasure

The notion of wave-particle duality may be quantified by the inequality V^2+K^2 <=1, relating interference fringe visibility V and path knowledge K. With a single-photon interferometer in which polarization is used to label the paths, we have investigated the relation for various situations, including pure, mixed, and partially-mixed input states. A quantum eraser scheme has been realized that recovers interference fringes even when no which-way information is available to erase.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Perceived Object Stability Depends on Multisensory Estimates of Gravity

BACKGROUND: How does the brain estimate object stability? Objects fall over when the gravity-projected centre-of-mass lies outside the point or area of support. To estimate an object's stability visually, the brain must integrate information across the shape and compare its orientation to gravity. When observers lie on their sides, gravity is perceived as tilted toward body orientation, consistent with a representation of gravity derived from multisensory information. We exploited this to test whether vestibular and kinesthetic information affect this visual task or whether the brain estimates object stability solely from visual information. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In three body orientations, participants viewed images of objects close to a table edge. We measured the critical angle at which each object appeared equally likely to fall over or right itself. Perceived gravity was measured using the subjective visual vertical. The results show that the perceived critical angle was significantly biased in the same direction as the subjective visual vertical (i.e., towards the multisensory estimate of gravity). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results rule out a general explanation that the brain depends solely on visual heuristics and assumptions about object stability. Instead, they suggest that multisensory estimates of gravity govern the perceived stability of objects, resulting in objects appearing more stable than they are when the head is tilted in the same direction in which they fall

Knots: Attractive Places with High Path Tortuosity in Mouse Open Field Exploration

When introduced into a novel environment, mammals establish in it a preferred place marked by the highest number of visits and highest cumulative time spent in it. Examination of exploratory behavior in reference to this “home base” highlights important features of its organization. It might therefore be fruitful to search for other types of marked places in mouse exploratory behavior and examine their influence on overall behavior

Quantum Locality

It is argued that while quantum mechanics contains nonlocal or entangled states, the instantaneous or nonlocal influences sometimes thought to be present due to violations of Bell inequalities in fact arise from mistaken attempts to apply classical concepts and introduce probabilities in a manner inconsistent with the Hilbert space structure of standard quantum mechanics. Instead, Einstein locality is a valid quantum principle: objective properties of individual quantum systems do not change when something is done to another noninteracting system. There is no reason to suspect any conflict between quantum theory and special relativity.Comment: Introduction has been revised, references added, minor corrections elsewhere. To appear in Foundations of Physic

Accurate path integration in continuous attractor network models of grid cells

Grid cells in the rat entorhinal cortex display strikingly regular firing responses to the animal's position in 2-D space and have been hypothesized to form the neural substrate for dead-reckoning. However, errors accumulate rapidly when velocity inputs are integrated in existing models of grid cell activity. To produce grid-cell-like responses, these models would require frequent resets triggered by external sensory cues. Such inadequacies, shared by various models, cast doubt on the dead-reckoning potential of the grid cell system. Here we focus on the question of accurate path integration, specifically in continuous attractor models of grid cell activity. We show, in contrast to previous models, that continuous attractor models can generate regular triangular grid responses, based on inputs that encode only the rat's velocity and heading direction. We consider the role of the network boundary in the integration performance of the network and show that both periodic and aperiodic networks are capable of accurate path integration, despite important differences in their attractor manifolds. We quantify the rate at which errors in the velocity integration accumulate as a function of network size and intrinsic noise within the network. With a plausible range of parameters and the inclusion of spike variability, our model networks can accurately integrate velocity inputs over a maximum of ~10–100 meters and ~1–10 minutes. These findings form a proof-of-concept that continuous attractor dynamics may underlie velocity integration in the dorsolateral medial entorhinal cortex. The simulations also generate pertinent upper bounds on the accuracy of integration that may be achieved by continuous attractor dynamics in the grid cell network. We suggest experiments to test the continuous attractor model and differentiate it from models in which single cells establish their responses independently of each other