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arXiv:2212.02599

On the Evolution of States in a Quantum-Mechanical Model of Experiments

Jürg Martin Fröhlich, Zhou Gang

Published Dec 5, 2022• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The postulates of von Neumann and Lüders concerning measurements in quantum mechanics are discussed and criticized in the context of a simple model proposed by Gisin. The main purpose of our paper is to analyze some mathematical aspects of that model and to draw some general lessons on the so-called ``measurement problem'' in quantum mechanics pointing towards the need to introduce general principles that determine the law for the stochastic time evolution of states of individual physical systems.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2212.02599

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The postulates of von Neumann and Lüders concerning measurements in quantum mechanics are discussed and criticized in the context of a simple model proposed by Gisin. The main purpose of our paper is to analyze some mathematical aspects of that model and to draw some general lessons on the so-called ``measurement problem'' in quantum mechanics pointing towards the need to introduce general principles that determine the law for the stochastic time evolution of states of individual physical systems.
It is argued that the Schrödinger equation does not yield a correct description of the quantum-mechanical time evolution of states of isolated (open) systems featuring events. A precise general law for the time evolution of states replacing the Schrödinger equation is formulated within the so-called ETH-Approach to Quantum Mechanics. This law eliminates the infamous "measurement problem." Our general results are illustrated by an analysis of simple models describing a very heavy atom coupled to the quantized radiation field in a limit where the speed of light tends to infinity. The discussion of these models is the main subject of our paper.
This note starts with a recapitulation of what people call the ``Measurement Problem'' of Quantum Mechanics (QM). The dissipative nature of the quantum-mechanical time-evolution of averages of states over large ensembles of identical isolated systems consisting of matter interacting with the radiation field is discussed and shown to correspond to a stochastic time-evolution of states of individual systems. The importance of dissipation for the successful completion of measurements is highlighted. To conclude, a solution of the ``Measurement Problem'' is sketched in an idealized model of a double-slit experiment.
Abstract It is argued that the Schrödinger equation does not yield a correct description of the quantum-mechanical time evolution of states of isolated physical systems featuring events. A general statistical law replacing unitary Schrödinger evolution of states is then formulated within the so-called ETH-Approach to Quantum Mechanics. This law eliminates the infamous “measurement problem.” Our general concepts and results are illustrated by an analysis of simple models describing a very heavy atom coupled to the quantized radiation field. In the limit where the speed of light tends to infinity these models can be treated quite explicitly.
In light of the lessons learned in the last 35 years from the quantum statistical mechanics description of phase transitions, I argue that the dichotomy in the evolution of quantum systems proposed by von Neumann, and pursued by Wigner in spite of the Einstein--Bohr criticisms on the attendent lack of resolution in terms of classical reality, fails to take into account the middle term suggested by the existence of superselection rules, Wigner's own discovery (with Wightmann and Wick). I claim that the part of the measurement problem concerned with the stable transfer of microscopic information to macroscopic physics can be treated entirely within the framework of a deterministic, conservative evolution of the joint system, i.e. without requiring the type of evolution von Neumann proposed besides that governed by the Schroedinger equation. I sustain this claim with the use of an exactly solvable model akin to the x-y model of statistical mechanics and involving its thermodynamical limit.
Theory of measurement is presented which is based on the statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics. The reduction of wave packet is ascribed to undue comparison of the state of an ensemble before measurement and the state of an individual system after measurement. By studying the evolution of statistical operators for subsystems and composite systems comprising an object, a measuring apparatus and an observer, one can definitely locate where the measurement is done, thus negating the principle of psycho-physical parallelism due to von Neumann. Time needed for measurement is also discussed. The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen state is described as an eigenstate of correlation. The argument lends support to the standpoint that the physical state of a system is to be represented by the statistical operator, not by the wave function, in the conceptual foundation of quantum mechanics.
We provide an introduction to the theory of quantum measurements that is centered on the pivotal role played by John von Neumann's model. This introduction is accessible to students and researchers from outside the field of foundations of quantum mechanics and presented within a historical context. We first explain the origins and the meaning of the measurement problem in quantum theory, and why it is not present in classical physics. We perform a chronological review of the quantization of action and explain how this led to successive restrictions on what could be measured in atomic phenomena, until the consolidation of the orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics. The clear separation between quantum system and classical apparatus that causes these restrictions is subverted in von Neumann's paradigmatic model of quantum measurements, a subject whose concepts we explain, while also providing the mathematical tools necessary to apply it to new problems. We show how this model was important in discussing the interpretations of quantum mechanics and how it is still relevant in modern applications. In particular, we explain in detail how it can be used to describe weak measurements and the surprising results they entail. We also discuss the limitations of von Neumann's model of measurements, and explain how they can be overcome with POVMs and Kraus operators. We provide the mathematical tools necessary to work with these generalized measurements and to derive master equations from them. Finally, we demonstrate how these can be applied in research problems by calculating the Quantum Zeno Effect.