Does particle decay cause wave function collapse: An experimental test
Quantum Physics
2009-11-07 v2 High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Nuclear Theory
Abstract
We describe an experimental test of whether particle decay causes wave function collapse. The test uses interference between two well separated, but coherent, sources of vector mesons. The short-lived mesons decay before their wave functions can overlap, so any interference must involve identical final states. Unlike previous tests of nonlocality, the interference involves continuous variables, momentum and position. Interference can only occur if the wave function retains amplitudes for all possible decays. The interference can be studied through the transverse momentum spectrum of the reconstructed mesons.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.quant-ph/0206060,
title = {Does particle decay cause wave function collapse: An experimental test},
author = {Spencer R. Klein and Joakim Nystrand},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:quant-ph/0206060},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Slightly revised version, to appear in Phys. Lett. A. 11 pgs., including 2 figures