A Proposal for a New Kind of Spontaneous Collapse Model

Fay Dowker B, Joe Henson C

Angelo Bassi

There are few proposals, which explicitly allow for (experimentally testable) deviations from standard quantum theory. Collapse models are among the most-widely studied proposals of this kind. The Schrödinger equation is modified by including nonlinear and stochastic terms, which describe the collapse of the wave function in space. These spontaneous collapses are rare for microscopic systems, hence their quantum properties are left almost unaltered. On the other hand, collapses become more and more frequent, the larger the object, to the point that macroscopic superpositions are rapidly suppressed. The main features of collapse models will be reviewed. An update of the most promising experimental tests will be presented.

Travis Norsen

Peter J. Lewis

Martin J. Leckey, Adrian P. Flitney

A modified form of quantum mechanics which includes a new mechanism for wavefunction collapse is proposed. The collapse provides a solution to the quantum measurement problem. This modified quantum mechanics is shown to arise naturally from a fully discrete physics, where all physical quantities are discrete rather than continuous. We compare the theory to the spontaneous collapse theories of Ghirardi, Rimini, Weber and Pearle, and argue that the new theory lends itself well to a realist interpretation of the wavefunction.

David W. Snoke