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The measurement problem in the stochastic formulation of quantum mechanics.

Blanchard Ph, Cini M, Maurizio Serva

Published Jan 1, 1992• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

The description of physical systems obtained in the classical limit of quantum mechanics is not consistent with the one given by classical statistical mechanics. In qantum mechanics the complete description of a physical system is given by specifying the wave function, which evolves completely deterministically. Probability comes into play only when a measurement is made. Classical statistical mechanics, on the contrary, concerns systems whose description is not complete and where probability enters as a consequence of a lack of knowledge. We show that Nelson's stochastic mechanics, whose predictions are identical with those of quantum mechanics, provides nevertheless a unified description of the deterministic and random aspects of quantum mechanics which eliminates the inconsistency outlined above and gives a simple and satisfactory solution to the measurement problem.

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The description of physical systems obtained in the classical limit of quantum mechanics is not consistent with the one given by classical statistical mechanics. In qantum mechanics the complete description of a physical system is given by specifying the wave function, which evolves completely deterministically. Probability comes into play only when a measurement is made. Classical statistical mechanics, on the contrary, concerns systems whose description is not complete and where probability enters as a consequence of a lack of knowledge. We show that Nelson's stochastic mechanics, whose predictions are identical with those of quantum mechanics, provides nevertheless a unified description of the deterministic and random aspects of quantum mechanics which eliminates the inconsistency outlined above and gives a simple and satisfactory solution to the measurement problem.
We develop a statistical model of microscopic stochastic deviation from classical mechanics based on a stochastic process with a transition probability that is assumed to be given by an exponential distribution of infinitesimal stationary action. We apply the statistical model to stochastically modify a classical mechanical model for the measurement of physical quantities reproducing the prediction of quantum mechanics. The system+apparatus always has a definite configuration at all times, as in classical mechanics, fluctuating randomly following a continuous trajectory. On the other hand, the wavefunction and quantum mechanical Hermitian operator corresponding to the physical quantity arise formally as artificial mathematical constructs. During a single measurement, the wavefunction of the whole system+apparatus evolves according to a Schrödinger equation and the configuration of the apparatus acts as the pointer of the measurement so that there is no wavefunction collapse. We will also show that while the outcome of each single measurement event does not reveal the actual value of the physical quantity prior to measurement, its average in an ensemble of identical measurements is equal to the average of the actual value of the physical quantity prior to measurement over the distribution of the configuration of the system.
Maintaining the position that the wave function ψψψ provides a complete description of state, the traditional formalism of quantum mechanics is augmented by introducing continuous trajectories for particles which are sample paths of a stochastic process determined (including the underlying probability space) by ψψψ. In the resulting formalism, problems relating to measurements and objective reality are solved as in Bohmian mechanics (without sharing its weak points). The pitfalls of Nelson's stochastic mechanics are also avoided.
It is argued that the so-called minimal statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics does not completely resolve the measurement problem in that this view is unable to show that quantum mechanics can dispense with classical physics when it comes to a treatment of the measuring interaction. It is suggested that the view that quantum mechanics applies to individual systems should not be too hastily abandoned, in that this view gives perhaps the best hope of leading to a version of quantum mechanics which does provide a complete solution to the measurement problem.
Nelson's stochastic mechanics may be understood as a stochastic underpinning, or reconstruction, of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, once the diffusion scale is fixed by ℏ\hbarℏ and the admissible states are restricted by the usual single-valuedness condition on the wavefunction. In this note I briefly indicate what this route achieves and why it remains conceptually attractive. Four advantages are emphasized. First, it supplies a clear configuration-space stochastic picture of the underlying processes. Second, the Born rule is built in from the outset, with ∣ψ∣2|ψ|^2∣ψ∣2 arising as the probability density ρρρ of the underlying diffusion process rather than as an independent postulate. Third, it offers a markedly different perspective on measurement and nonlocality: in particular, collapse need not be treated as an extra axiom, and the nonlocality associated with entangled states is softened relative to the deterministic Bohmian guidance picture. Fourth, by tying quantumness to a diffusion scale, it naturally suggests a continuum of physical descriptions ranging from the strictly classical to the strictly quantum-mechanical regime. I conclude by proposing a natural distance scale in stochastic mechanics and examining its implications for testing possible limits of Bell correlations.
In this paper, we present a thought experiment that demonstrates that the equivalence of quantum reduced states and statistical mixed states of ensembles is not merely a simple mathematical formulation in quantum mechanics, but rather possesses profound physical underpinnings. Based on the equivalence, we give a possible solution to the quantum measurement problem. We describe quantum measurement process as two-step physical process: one microscopically controllable process which generates an entanglement between the system being measured and a marking system (or property), and one macroscopic process (uncontrollable microscopically) which detects states (or properties) of the marking system. With the solution, we conclude that the measurement postulate is just a corollary of the completeness of quantum states. Our solution is entirely rooted in the traditional formalism of quantum mechanics, requiring no extensions or modifications to it. We also point out that quantum randomness originates from entanglement, and the collapse of the wave function is a subjective process.
The basic idea of quantum mechanics is that the property of any system can be in a state of superposition of various possibilities (or eigen states).This state of superposition is also known as wave function and it evolves linearly with time in a deterministic way in accordance with the Schrodinger equation.However, when a measurement is carried out on the system to determine the value of that property (say position), the system instantaneously transforms to one of the eigen states and thus we get only a single value as an outcome of the measurement.Quantum measurement problem seeks to find the cause and exact mechanism governing this transformation.In an attempt to solve the above problem, in this paper, we will first define what the wave function represents in real-world and will identify the root cause behind the stochastic nature of events.Then, we will develop a model to explain the mechanism of collapse of the quantum mechanical wave function in response to a measurement.In the process of development of model, we will explain Schrodinger cat paradox and will show how Born's rule for probability becomes a natural consequence of the measurement process.