Abstract
The meaning of statistical experiments with single microsystems in quantum mechanics is discussed and a general model in the framework of nonrelativistic quantum field theory is proposed to describe both coherent and incoherent interaction of a single microsystem with matter. Compactly developing the calculations with superoperators, it is shown that the introduction of a time scale linked to irreversibility of the reduced dynamics directly leads to a dynamical semigroup expressed in terms of quantities typical of scattering theory. Its generator consists of two terms, the first linked to a coherent wavelike behavior, the second related to an interaction having a measuring character, possibly connected to events the microsystem produces propagating inside matter. In case these events breed a measurement, an explicit realization of some concepts of modern quantum mechanics (“effects” and “operations”) arises. The relevance of this description to a recent debate questioning the validity of ordinary quantum mechanics to account for such experimental situations as, e.g., neutron interferometry is briefly discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Comi, M., Lanz, L., Lugiato, L. A., and Ramella, G. (1975).Journal of Mathematical Physics,16, 910.
Chapman, M. S.,et al. (1995).Physical Review Letters,75, 3783.
Davies, E. B. (1976).Quantum Theory of Open Systems, Academic Press, New York.
Holevo, A. S. (1982).Probabilistic and Statistical Aspects of Quantum Theory, North-Holland, Amsterdam.
Kraus, K. (1983). States, Effects and Operations, inLecture Notes in Physics, Vol. 190, Springer, Berlin.
Lanz, L. (1994).International Journal of Theoretical Physics,33, 19.
Lanz, L., and Melsheimer, O. (1993). Quantum mechanics and trajectories, inSymposium on the Foundations of Modern Physics, P. Busch, P. J. Lahti, and P. Mittelstaedt, eds., World Scientific, Singapore, pp. 233–241.
Lindblad, G. (1976).Communications in Mathematical Physics,48, 119.
Ludwig, G. (1976).Einführung in die Grundlagen der Theoretischen Physik, Vol. 3,Quantentheorien, Vieweg, Braunschweig.
Ludwig, G. (1983).Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Springer, Berlin.
Mittelstaedt, P., Prieur, A., and Schieder, R. (1987).Foundations of Physics,17, 891.
Namiki, M., and Pascazio, S. (1991).Physical Review A,44, 39.
Namiki, M., and Pascazio, S. (1993).Physics Reports,232, 301.
Namiki, M., Pascazio, S., and Rauch, H. (1993).Physics Letters A,173, 87.
Rauch, H. (1990). InProceedings 3rd International Symposium on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, S. Kobayashiet al., eds., Physical Society, Tokyo, p. 3.
Rauch, H., Summhammer, J., Zawisky, M., and Jericha, E. (1990).Physical Review A,42, 3726.
Sears, V. F. (1989).Neutron Optics, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Srinivas, M. D., and Davies, E. B. (1981).Optica Acta,28, 981.
Taylor, J. R. (1972).Scattering Theory, Wiley, New York.
Thomson, M. J. (1993).Physics Letters A,179, 239.
Vigué, J. (1995).Physical Review A,52, 3973.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lanz, L., Vacchini, B. Dynamical semigroup description of coherent and incoherent particle—Matter interaction. Int J Theor Phys 36, 67–88 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02435772
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02435772