Related papers: Does a measurement really collapse the wave functi…
In this short communication, I gave a generalization of measurement postulate in quantum mechanics. It is regarding the case with partial measurement, namely, measurement on only part of a wave function. Upon a partial measurement, the…
Two-slit interference experiment with a which-way detector has been a topic of intense debate. Scientific community is divided on the question whether the particle receives a momentum kick because of the process of which-way measurement. It…
In this work, we propose a simple but effective experiment for probing the boundary in which a wave-function collapses. Using a quantum optics system interacting with a photomultiplier tube (PMT), one is able to determine the number of…
We are concerned with the problem of detecting with high probability whether a wave function has collapsed or not, in the following framework: A quantum system with a $d$-dimensional Hilbert space is initially in state $\psi$; with…
If the initial quantum state of the universe is a multiverse superposition over many different sets of values of the effective coupling "constants" of physics, and if this quantum state collapses to an eigenstate of the set of coupling…
The measurement problem remains unaddressed in modern physics, with an array of proposed solutions but as of yet no agreed resolution. In this paper, we examine measurement using the Q-based, objective-field model for quantum mechanics.…
We investigate the meaning of the wave function by analyzing the mass and charge density distribution of a quantum system. According to protective measurement, a charged quantum system has mass and charge density proportional to the modulus…
Feynman contended that the double-slit experiment contained the `only mystery' in quantum mechanics. The mystery was that electrons traverse the interferometer as waves, but are detected as particles. This note was motivated by the question…
We assume that particles are point-like objects even when not observed. We report on the consequences of our assumption within the realm of quantum theory. An important consequence is the necessity of vacuum fields to account for particle…
Because quantum measurements have probabilistic outcomes they can seem to violate conservation laws in individual experiments. Despite these appearances, strict conservation of momentum, orbital angular momentum, and energy can be shown to…
The wave-particle duality is the main point of demarcation between quantum and classical physics, and is the quintessential mystery of quantum mechanics. Young's two-slit interference experiment is the arch prototype of actual and gedanken…
Based on the first-order perturbation theory, we show that the wave function of a photoelectron is a wave packet with the same width as the incident light pulse. Photoelectron detection measurements revealed that the widths of signal pulses…
The momentum changes caused by position measurements are a central feature of wave-particle duality. Here we investigate two cases - localization by a single slit, and which-way detection in the double-slit interference experiment - and…
An experiment is described that empirically distinguishes the previously proposed q-rules governing the collapse of a wave function, and contrasts it with the conventional idea of a collapse as well as the current leading theory of collapse…
One of the main postulates of quantum mechanics is that measurements destroy quantum coherence (wave function collapse). Recently it was discovered that in a many-body system dilute local measurements still preserve some coherence across…
We propose a definition of wavefunction "branchings": quantum superpositions which can't be feasibly distinguished from the corresponding mixed state, even under time evolution. Our definition is largely independent of interpretations,…
It was recently pointed out (and demonstrated experimentally) by Lundeen et al. that the wave function of a particle (more precisely, the wave function possessed by each member of an ensemble of identically-prepared particles) can be…
I study the quantum mechanics of a spin interacting with an ``apparatus''. Although the evolution of the whole system is unitary, the spin evolution is not. The system is chosen so that the spin exhibits loss of quantum coherence, or…
It is widely known that `collapse of the wave function' on a quantum system A may be brought about by an interaction with another quantum system B. We will prove that this is not just a possible, but a necessary consequence of information…
I propose to resolve the controversy over the speed of collapse of quantum-mechanical wavefunctions by means of an experimental test with a modified symmetric Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer, with non-intersecting, parallel, widely…