Related papers: On relational time and energy decoherence
I consider some of the issues we face in trying to understand dark energy. Huge fluctuations in the unknown dark energy equation of state can be hidden in distance data, so I argue that model-independent tests which signal if the…
In the Heisenberg picture of unitary quantum theory, Bell inequalities are violated with local elements of reality interacting locally. Here is how: Upon measuring her particle of the entangled pair, Alice -- like other coupled systems --…
The effect of time-varying electromagnetic fields on electron coherence is investigated. A sinusoidal electromagnetic field produces a time varying Aharonov-Bohm phase. In a measurement of the interference pattern which averages over this…
We study the dynamics of bosonic atoms in a double well potential under the influence of dissipation. The main effect of dissipation is to destroy quantum coherence and to drive the system towards a unique steady state. We study how the…
Experience with experimental and computational work are important components of students' understanding of the practice of physics. Physics departments typically use specific experimental lab courses and computational lab courses to develop…
Contemporary research programs in fundamental physics appear to suggest that there could be two (physical) times---or none at all. This essay articulates these possibilities in the context of quantum gravity, and in particular of…
The quantum coherence of electrons can be probed by studying weak localization corrections to the conductivity. Interaction effects lead to dephasing, with electron-electron interactions being the important intrinsic mechanism. A…
Introductory physics instruction emphasizes fluency with routine problem-solving procedures. However, even when applying these procedures, students frequently encounter challenges. This paper investigates how students navigate such moments…
This essay is based on a talk at Advances in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences 2020 (AAMOS20) in a symposium honoring Prof. S. T. Manson's decades-long contribution to photoabsorption studies. Quantum physics introduced into physics…
Decoherence is the process by which quantum systems interact and become correlated with their external environments; quantum trajectories are a powerful technique by which decohering systems can be resolved into stochastic evolutions,…
We demonstrate that two spatially separated parties (Alice and Bob) can utilize shared prior quantum entanglement, and classical communications, to establish a synchronized pair of atomic clocks. In contrast to classical synchronization…
Here we analyze the relationship between quantum contextuality and decoherence in interference experiments with matter particles by means of a simple reduced quantum-trajectory model, which attempts to simulate the behavior of the…
Using an elementary example based on two simple harmonic oscillators, we show how a relational time may be defined that leads to an approximate Schrodinger dynamics for subsystems, with corrections leading to an intrinsic decoherence in the…
We identify potential sources of decoherence for $U(1)$ gauge bosons from a cosmological standpoint. Besides interactions with different species in the cosmological medium, we also consider effects due to the expansion of the Universe,…
Our main purpose here is to study some qualitative aspects of space and time. These include the notion of space and time regarded as the containers of respectively bodies and events, the divisibility of space, and the unrepeatability of…
The decoherence phenomenon arising from an environmental monitoring of the state of a quantum system, as opposed to monitoring of a preferred observable, is worked out in detail using two equivalent formulations, namely, repeated…
The mechanism of decoherence for a quantum system with rotational degrees of freedom is studied. From a simple model of elastic scattering, we show that the non-diagonal density matrix elements of the system exponentially decay. The decay…
The possibility of consistency between the basic quantum principles of quantum mechanics and wave function collapse is reexamined. A specific interpretation of environment is proposed for this aim and applied to decoherence. When the…
Instruction in quantum mechanics is becoming increasingly important as the field is not only a key part of modern physics research, but is also important for emerging technologies. However, many students regard quantum mechanics as a…
We analyse a gedankenexperiment previously considered by Mari et al. that involves quantum superpositions of charged and/or massive bodies ("particles") under the control of the observers, Alice and Bob. In the electromagnetic case, we show…