English

Are dynamical quantum jumps detector-dependent?

Quantum Physics 2012-07-17 v2

Abstract

Dynamical quantum jumps were initially conceived by Bohr as objective events associated with the emission of a light quantum by an atom. Since the early 1990s they have come to be understood as being associated rather with the detection of a photon by a measurement device, and that different detection schemes result in different types of jumps (or diffusion). Here we propose experimental tests to rigorously prove the detector-dependence of the stochastic evolution of an individual atom. The tests involve no special preparation of the atom or field, and the required efficiency can be as low as \eta ~58%.

Cite

@article{arxiv.1110.0069,
  title  = {Are dynamical quantum jumps detector-dependent?},
  author = {Howard M. Wiseman and Jay M. Gambetta},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1110.0069},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

4+ pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

R2 v1 2026-06-21T19:13:36.506Z