Foundations of Quantum Theory

Landsman, Klaas

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-51777-3

Cited by 94 publications

(61 citation statements)

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“…In particular, I am able to argue that the isolated-levels assumption, viewed through the lens of an elementary resonance analysis, accounts for the principal features of quantum detection that one typically explains using axioms: detection is observed to take place at a single point, the points are distributed randomly, and the random distribution follows the Born rule. Hopefully, this is a significant step toward realizing the program of solving the measurement problem within unitary quantum mechanics envisioned by Landsman [5], among others.…”

Section: How Does It Happen?mentioning

confidence: 97%

Analysis of double-slit interference experiment at the atomic level

Schonfeld

2019

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in

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I argue that the marquis characteristics of the quantum-mechanical double-slit experiment (point detection, random distribution, Born rule) can be explained using Schroedinger's equation alone, if one takes into account that, for any atom in a detector, there is a small but nonzero gap between its excitation energy and the excitation energies of all other relevant atoms in the detector (isolated-levels assumption). To illustrate the point I introduce a toy model of a detector. The form of the model follows common practice in quantum optics and cavity QED. Each detector atom can be resonantly excited by the incoming particle, and then emit a detection signature (e.g., bright flash of light) or dissipate its energy thermally. Different atoms have slightly different resonant energies per the isolated-levels assumption, and the projectile preferentially excites the atom with the closest energy match. The toy model permits one easily to estimate the probability that any atom is resonantly excited, and also that a detection signature is produced before being overtaken by thermal dissipation. The end-to-end detection probability is the product of these two probabilities, and is proportional to the absolute-square of the incoming wavefunction at the atom in question, i.e. the Born rule. I consider how closely a published neutron interference experiment conforms to the picture developed here; I show how this paper's analysis steers clear of creating a scenario with local hidden variables; I show how the analysis steers clear of the irreversibility implicit in the projection postulate; and I discuss possible experimental tests of this paper's ideas. Hopefully, this is a significant step toward realizing the program of solving the measurement problem within unitary quantum mechanics envisioned by Landsman, among others.

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Section: How Does It Happen?mentioning

confidence: 97%

Analysis of double-slit interference experiment at the atomic level

Schonfeld

2019

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in

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“…See in this connection, e.g. where Landsman writes, in [22], "Decoherence turns superpositions into mixtures, i.e., it removes interference terms (if only approximately), but it gives no explanation why only one term in the ensuing mixture survives." Such a view is of course also taken in many works on collapse models such as in Bell's version [13] of [12] which we mentioned above.…”

Section: Events and Time 91 Unravelingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remarks on Matter-Gravity Entanglement, Entropy, Information Loss and Events

Kay

2020

Progress and Visions in Quantum Theory in View of Gravity

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I recall my matter-gravity entanglement hypothesis and briefly review the evidence for it, based partly on its seeming ability to resolve a number of puzzles related to quantum black holes including the black hole information loss puzzle. I point out that, according to this hypothesis, there is a quantity, i.e. the universe's matter-gravity entanglement entropy -which deserves to be considered the 'entropy of the universe' and which, with suitable initial conditions, will plausibly increase monotonically with cosmological time. In the last section, which is more tentative and raises a number of further puzzles and open questions, I discuss the prospects for a notion of 'events' which 'happen' whose statistical properties are described by this entropy of the universe. It is hoped that such a theory of events may be a step on the way towards explaining how initial quantum fluctuations convert themselves into inhomogeneities in a seemingly classical universe. 1 We recall that the von Neumann entropy of a density operator, ρ is defined to be −trρ ln ρ. 2 Here, we have in mind making a measurement but not recording the result. See the second paragraph of Section (9.4) for further discussion of this point.3 Of course we would expect the particle in the box to always be entangled with the environment both before and after the removal of the partition -albeit a little bit less entangled before its removal. One could, if one wished to, make a mathematical model involving say a two-state system coupled to an environment where the total state of system and environment is unentangled (and hence the 'state of the system' pure) before the removal of an idealized partition and entangled only afterwards.

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“…"While idealizations are useful and, perhaps, even essential to progress in physics, a sound principle of interpretation would seem to be that no effect can be counted as a genuine physical effect if it disappears when the idealizations are removed." (Earman, 2004) As argued in detail in Landsman (2013Landsman ( , 2017, the solution to his paradox lies in Earman's very principle itself, which (contrapositively) implies what we call Butterfield's Principle:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum spin systems versus Schroedinger operators: A case study in spontaneous symmetry breaking

et al. 2020

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Spontaneous symmetry breaking (ssb) is mathematically tied to some limit, but must physically occur, approximately, before the limit. Approximate ssb has been independently understood for Schrödinger operators with double well potential in the classical limit (Jona-Lasinio et al, 1981;Simon, 1985) and for quantum spin systems in the thermodynamic limit (Anderson, 1952;Tasaki, 2019). We relate these to each other in the context of the Curie-Weiss model, establishing a remarkable relationship between this model (for finite N ) and a discretized Schrödinger operator with double well potential.

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Foundations of Quantum Theory

Cited by 94 publications

References 0 publications

Analysis of double-slit interference experiment at the atomic level

Analysis of double-slit interference experiment at the atomic level

Remarks on Matter-Gravity Entanglement, Entropy, Information Loss and Events

Quantum spin systems versus Schroedinger operators: A case study in spontaneous symmetry breaking

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