English

How fast is a quantum jump?

Quantum Physics 2020-10-28 v1

Abstract

A proposal is put forward for an estimate of the duration of a transition between atomic states. The proposal rests on the consideration that a resonance of the atomic electron with modes of the zero-point radiation field of Compton's frequency is at the core of the phenomenon. The theoretical result, given essentially by the expression (\alpha\omega_{C})^{-1}, where \alpha is the fine structure constant and \omega_{C} the Compton angular frequency for the electron, lies well within the range of the recently experimentally estimated values of the order of attoseconds (10^{-18} s).

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2009.02426,
  title  = {How fast is a quantum jump?},
  author = {Luis de la Peña and Ana María Cetto and Andrea Valdés-Hernández},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2009.02426},
  year   = {2020}
}

Comments

7 pages

R2 v1 2026-06-23T18:19:46.161Z