Wave-packet scattering without kinematic entanglement: convergence of expectation values

The wave packet spread of a particle in a collection of different mass particles, all with Gaussian wave functions, evolves to a value that is inversely proportional to the mass of the particle. The assumptions underlying this result and its derivation are reviewed. A mathematical demonstration of the convergence of an iteration central to this assertion is presented. Finally, the question of in-principle measurement of wave packet spread is taken up

Convergence of matrices under random conjugation: wave packet scattering without kinematic entanglement

In previous work, it was shown numerically that under successive scattering events, a collection of particles with Gaussian wavefunctions retains the Gaussian property, with the spread of the Gaussian ('Δx') tending to a value inversely proportional to the square root of each particle's mass. We prove this convergence in all dimensions ≥3

Bounds on Decoherence and Error

When a confined system interacts with its walls (treated quantum mechanically), there is an intertwining of degrees of freedom. We show that this need not lead to entanglement, hence decoherence. It will generally lead to error. The wave function optimization required to avoid decoherence is also examined.Comment: 10 pages, plain TeX, no figure

Schulman Replies

This is a reply to a comment of Casati, Chirikov and Zhirov (PRL 85, 896 (2000)) on PRL 83, 5419 (1999). The suitability of the particlar two-time boundary value problem used in the earlier PRL is argued