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International Journal of Quantum Information

Collapse models tested in the LNGS underground laboratories

Catalina Curceanu, R. Del Grande, Matthias Laubenstein, Kristian Piscicchia

Published Dec 1, 2019• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Collapse models consist in dynamical reformulations of the standard quantum mechanics aiming to solve the measurement problem. The standard Schrödinger dynamics is modified with the introduction of nonlinear and stochastic terms, which induce the wave function collapse in space. Collapse models predict slight deviations from the standard quantum mechanics predictions, in particular the emission of a “spontaneous radiation”, which we explored to set the most stringent limits on the collapse models parameters in a broad range. To this end, the X-ray emission data collected by the IGEX collaboration are analyzed and compared with the spectrum of the spontaneous photon emission process predicted by the theories. The results of the data analyses, and the ongoing experimental efforts will be presented.

DOI
10.1142/s0219749919410119

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Collapse models consist in dynamical reformulations of the standard quantum mechanics aiming to solve the measurement problem. The standard Schrödinger dynamics is modified with the introduction of nonlinear and stochastic terms, which induce the wave function collapse in space. Collapse models predict slight deviations from the standard quantum mechanics predictions, in particular the emission of a “spontaneous radiation”, which we explored to set the most stringent limits on the collapse models parameters in a broad range. To this end, the X-ray emission data collected by the IGEX collaboration are analyzed and compared with the spectrum of the spontaneous photon emission process predicted by the theories. The results of the data analyses, and the ongoing experimental efforts will be presented.
In this paper new upper limits on the parameters of the Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) collapse model are extracted. To this end the X-ray emission data collected by the IGEX collaboration are analyzed and compared with the spectrum of the spontaneous photon emission process predicted by collapse models. This study allows to obtain the most stringent limits within a relevant range of the CSL model parameters, with respect to any other method. The collapse rate λ\lambdaλ and the correlation length rCr_CrC​ are mapped, thus allowing to exclude a broad range of the parameter space.
The unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity remains one of the central open problems in modern physics. In recent decades, increasing attention has focused on the idea of gravitazing quantum mechanics represents the approach to modify quantum mechanics in order to accommodate for gravity, rather than modifying gravity by quantizing it. Within this perspective, gravity is expected to play a privileged role in resolving the longstanding measurement problem. At the same time, the growing sensitivity of underground experiments searching for the characteristic electromagnetic signature of wave-function collapse – known as spontaneous radiation – has placed stringent constraints on theoretical models. In this work, we present the phenomenological and experimental efforts of the VIP collaboration at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories (INFN), which currently provides some of the most stringent limits on an entire class of spontaneous collapse models.
The work presented in this paper aimed to obtain new, more stringent, limits on the parameters of the Continuous Spontaneous Localization collapse model. The result is accomplished by performing a Bayesian analysis of the X-ray emission data collected by the IGEX collaboration, compared with the spontaneous photon emission which is predicted by collapse models. The most stringent limits on the collapse rate λ\lambdaλ and the correlation length rCr_CrC​ of the CSL model are obtained , with respect to any other method, over a broad range of the parameters space.
The article reviews our recent experimental results on the Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model and on the gravity related collapse model developed by Diósi and Penrose (DP). These models of dynamical reduction of the wave function consist in non-linear and stochastic modifications of the Schröedinger equation, which lead to a progressive breakdown of the superposition principle, as the size of the system increases. We performed a high sensitivity survey of the spontaneous radiation phenomenon, predicted by the collapse models, in a dedicated experiment operated in the extremely low background of the Gran Sasso underground National Laboratory of INFN in Italy. Our studies set the strongest bounds on the CSL parameters, in a broad region of the parameters space, and rule out the DP in its present formulation.
The basic strategy underlying models of spontaneous wave function collapse (collapse models) is to modify the Schrödinger equation by including nonlinear stochastic terms, which tend to localize wave functions in space in a dynamical manner. These terms have negligible effects on microscopic systems—therefore their quantum behaviour is practically preserved. On the other end, since the strength of these new terms scales with the mass of the system, they become dominant at the macroscopic level, making sure that wave functions of macro-objects are always well-localized in space. We will review these basic features. By changing the dynamics of quantum systems, collapse models make predictions, which are different from standard quantum mechanical predictions. Although they are difficult to detect, we discuss the most relevant scenarios, where such deviations can be observed.
Abstract The article reviews our recent experimental results on the Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model and on the gravity related collapse model developed by Diósi and Penrose (DP). These models of dynamical reduction of the wave function consist in non-linear and stochastic modifications of the Schröedinger equation, which lead to a progressive breakdown of the superposition principle, as the size of the system increases. We performed a high sensitivity survey of the spontaneous radiation phenomenon, predicted by the collapse models, at the Gran Sasso underground National Laboratory of INFN in Italy. Our studies set the strongest bounds on the CSL parameters, in a broad region of the parameters space, and rule out the DP in its present formulation.