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Angelo Bassi

Publications and source records attributed to Angelo Bassi.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
arXiv2016

Bounds on collapse models from cold-atom experiments

The spontaneous localization mechanism of collapse models induces a Brownian motion in all physical systems. This effect is very weak, but experimental progress in creating ultracold atomic systems can be used to detect it. In this paper, we considered a recent experiment [1], where an atomic ensemble was cooled down to picokelvins. Any Brownian motion induces an extra increase of the position variance of the gas. We study this effect by solving the dynamical equations for the Continuous Spontaneous Localizations (CSL) model, as well as for its non-Markovian and dissipative extensions. The resulting bounds, with a 95% of confidence level, are beaten only by measurements of spontaneous X-ray emission and by experiments with cantilever (in the latter case, only for rC > 10^(-7) m, where rC is one of the two collapse parameters of the CSL model). We show that, contrary to the bounds given by X-ray measurements, non-Markovian effects do not change the bounds, for any reasonable choice of a frequency cutoff in the spectrum of the collapse noise. Therefore the bounds here considered are more robust. We also show that dissipative effects are unimportant for a large spectrum of temperatures of the noise, while for low temperatures the excluded region in the parameter space is the more reduced, the lower the temperature.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2016

Bohmian Mechanics, Collapse Models and the emergence of Classicality

We discuss the emergence of classical trajectories in Bohmian Mechanics (BM), when a macroscopic object interacts with an external environment. We show that in such a case the conditional wave function of the system follows a dynamics which, under reasonable assumptions, corresponds to that of the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) collapse model. As a consequence, Bohmian trajectories evolve classically. Our analysis also shows how the GRW (istantaneous) collapse process can be derived by an underlying continuous interaction of a quantum system with an external agent, thus throwing a light on how collapses can emerge from a deeper level theory.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Gravitational Decoherence for Mesoscopic Systems

We extend the recent gravitational decoherence analysis of Pikovski et al. to an individual mesoscopic system with internal state characterized by a coherent superposition of energy eigenstates. We express the Pikovski et al. effect directly in terms of the energy variance, and show that the interferometric visibility is bounded from below. Hence unlike collisional decoherence, the visibility does not approach zero at large times, although for a large system it can become very small.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

No-faster-than-light-signaling implies linear evolutions. A re-derivation

There is a growing interest, both from the theoretical as well as experimental side, to test the validity of the quantum superposition principle, and of theories which explicitly violate it by adding nonlinear terms to the Schrödinger equation. We review the original argument elaborated by Gisin (1989 Helv. Phys. Acta 62 363), which shows that the non-superluminal-signaling condition implies that the dynamics of the density matrix must be linear. This places very strong constraints on the permissible modifications of the Schrödinger equation, since they have to give rise, at the statistical level, to a linear evolution for the density matrix. The derivation is done in a heuristic way here and is appropriate for the students familiar with the textbook quantum mechanics and the language of density matrices.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Optomechanical test of the Schrödinger-Newton equation

The Schrödinger-Newton equation has been proposed as an experimentally testable alternative to quantum gravity, accessible at low energies. It contains self-gravitational terms, which slightly modify the quantum dynamics. Here we show that it distorts the spectrum of a harmonic system. Based on this effect, we propose an optomechanical experiment with a trapped microdisc to test the Schrödinger-Newton equation, and we show that it can be realized with existing technology.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Effects of Newtonian gravitational self-interaction in harmonically trapped quantum systems

The Schrödinger-Newton equation has gained attention in the recent past as a nonlinear modification of the Schrödinger equation due to a gravitational self-interaction. Such a modification is expected from a fundamentally semi-classical theory of gravity, and can therefore be considered a test case for the necessity of the quantisation of the gravitational field. Here we provide a thorough study of the effects of the Schrödinger-Newton equation for a micron-sized sphere trapped in a harmonic oscillator potential. We discuss both the effect on the energy eigenstates and the dynamical behaviour of squeezed states, covering the experimentally relevant parameter regimes.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Dissipative Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model

Collapse models explain the absence of quantum superpositions at the macroscopic scale, while giving practically the same predictions as quantum mechanics for microscopic systems. The Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model is the most refined and studied among collapse models. A well-known problem of this model, and of similar ones, is the steady and unlimited increase of the energy induced by the collapse noise. Here we present the dissipative version of the CSL model, which guarantees a finite energy during the entire system's evolution, thus making a crucial step toward a realistic energy-conserving collapse model. This is achieved by introducing a non-linear stochastic modification of the Schrödinger equation, which represents the action of a dissipative finite-temperature collapse noise. The possibility to introduce dissipation within collapse models in a consistent way will have relevant impact on the experimental investigations of the CSL model, and therefore also on the testability of the quantum superposition principle.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Gravity and the Collapse of the Wave Function: a Probe into Diósi-Penrose model

We investigate the Diósi-Penrose (DP) proposal for connecting the collapse of the wave function to gravity. The DP model needs a free parameter, acting as a cut-off to regularize the dynamics, and the predictions of the model highly depend on the value of this cut-off. The Compton wavelength of a nucleon seems to be the most reasonable cut-off value since it justifies the non-relativistic approach. However, with this value, the DP model predicts an unrealistic high rate of energy increase. Thus, one either is forced to choose a much larger cut-off, which is not physically justified and totally arbitrary, or one needs to include dissipative effects in order to tame the energy increase. Taking the analogy with dissipative collisional decoherence seriously, we develop a dissipative generalization of the DP model. We show that even with dissipative effects, the DP model contradicts known physical facts, unless either the cut-off is kept artificially large, or one limits the applicability of the model to massive systems. We also provide an estimation for the mass range of this applicability.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Macroscopic quantum resonators (MAQRO): 2015 Update

Do the laws of quantum physics still hold for macroscopic objects - this is at the heart of Schrödinger's cat paradox - or do gravitation or yet unknown effects set a limit for massive particles? What is the fundamental relation between quantum physics and gravity? Ground-based experiments addressing these questions may soon face limitations due to limited free-fall times and the quality of vacuum and microgravity. The proposed mission MAQRO may overcome these limitations and allow addressing those fundamental questions. MAQRO harnesses recent developments in quantum optomechanics, high-mass matter-wave interferometry as well as state-of-the-art space technology to push macroscopic quantum experiments towards their ultimate performance limits and to open new horizons for applying quantum technology in space. The main scientific goal of MAQRO is to probe the vastly unexplored "quantum-classical" transition for increasingly massive objects, testing the predictions of quantum theory for truly macroscopic objects in a size and mass regime unachievable in ground-based experiments. The hardware for the mission will largely be based on available space technology. Here, we present the MAQRO proposal submitted in response to the (M4) Cosmic Vision call of the European Space Agency for a medium-size mission opportunity with a possible launch in 2025.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2015

Dissipative extension of the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber model

In this paper we present an extension of the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber model for the spontaneous collapse of the wavefunction. Through the inclusion of dissipation, we avoid the divergence of the energy on the long time scale, which affects the original model. In particular, we define new jump operators, which depend on the momentum of the system and lead to an exponential relaxation of the energy to a finite value. The finite asymptotic energy is naturally associated to a collapse noise with a finite temperature, which is a basic realistic feature of our extended model. Remarkably, even in the presence of a low temperature noise, the collapse model is effective. The action of the new jump operators still localizes the wavefunction and the relevance of the localization increases with the size of the system, according to the so-called amplification mechanism, which guarantees a unified description of the evolution of microscopic and macroscopic systems. We study in detail the features of our model, both at the level of the trajectories in the Hilbert space and at the level of the master equation for the average state of the system. In addition, we show that the dissipative Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber model, as well as the original one, can be fully characterized in a compact way by means of a proper stochastic differential equation.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2014

The Schrödinger-Newton equation and its foundations

The necessity of quantising the gravitational field is still subject to an open debate. In this paper we compare the approach of quantum gravity, with that of a fundamentally semi-classical theory of gravity, in the weak-field non-relativistic limit. We show that, while in the former case the Schrödinger equation stays linear, in the latter case one ends up with the so-called Schrödinger-Newton equation, which involves a nonlinear, non-local gravitational contribution. We further discuss that the Schrödinger-Newton equation does not describe the collapse of the wave-function, although it was initially proposed for exactly this purpose. Together with the standard collapse postulate, fundamentally semi-classical gravity gives rise to superluminal signalling. A consistent fundamentally semi-classical theory of gravity can therefore only be achieved together with a suitable prescription of the wave-function collapse. We further discuss, how collapse models avoid such superluminal signalling and compare the nonlinearities appearing in these models with those in the Schrödinger-Newton equation.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2014

Spontaneous photon-emission from a non-relativistic free charged particle in collapse models: A case-study

We study the photon emission rate of a non relativistic charged particle interacting with an external classical noise through its position. Both the particle and the electromagnetic field are quantized. Under only the dipole approximation, the equations of motion can be solved exactly for a free particle, or a particle bounded by an harmonic potential. The physical quantity we will be interested in is the spectrum of the radiation emitted by the particle, due to the interaction with the noise. We will highlight several properties of the spectrum and clarify some issues appeared in the literature, regarding the exact mathematical formula of a spectrum for a free particle.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2013

Information and the foundations of quantum theory

We believe that the hypothesis `it from bit' originates from the assumption that probabilities have a fundamental, irremovable status in quantum theory. We argue against this assumption and highlight four well-known reformulations / modifications of the theory in which probabilities and the measuring apparatus do not play a fundamental role. These are: Bohmian Mechanics, Dynamical Collapse Models, Trace Dynamics, and Quantum Theory without Classical Time. Here the `it' is primary and the `bit' is derived from the `it'.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2013

Testing the quantum superposition principle in the frequency domain

New technological developments allow to explore the quantum properties of very complex systems, bringing the question of whether also macroscopic systems share such features, within experimental reach. The interest in this question is increased by the fact that, on the theory side, many suggest that the quantum superposition principle is not exact, departures from it being the larger, the more macroscopic the system. Here we propose a novel way to test the possible violation of the superposition principle, by analyzing its effect on the spectral properties of a generic two-level system. We will show that spectral lines shapes are modified, if the superposition principle is violated, and we quantify the magnitude of the violation. We show how this effect can be distinguished from that of standard environmental noises. We argue that accurate enough spectroscopic experiments are within reach, with current technology.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2013

On spontaneous photon emission in collapse models

We reanalyze the problem of spontaneous photon emission in collapse models. We show that the extra term found by Bassi and Duerr is present for non-white (colored) noise, but its coefficient is proportional to the zero frequency Fourier component of the noise. This leads one to suspect that the extra term is an artifact. When the calculation is repeated with the final electron in a wave packet and with the noise confined to a bounded region, the extra term vanishes in the limit of continuum state normalization. The result obtained by Fu and by Adler and Ramazanoglu from application of the Golden Rule is then recovered.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2013

Bounds on Spontaneous Collapse model of Quantum Mechanics from formation of CMBR and Standard Cosmology

Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model of Quantum Mechanics modifies Schrödinger equation by adding non-linear stochastic terms due to which the total energy of a system increases with a constant rate which is proportional to the collapse rate $λ$. Thus applying CSL model to cosmological scenarios can change the thermal behaviour of the particles during evolution and we will put constraints on $λ$ by considering several cosmological scenarios.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2012

Models of Wave-function Collapse, Underlying Theories, and Experimental Tests

Quantum mechanics is an extremely successful theory that agrees with every experiment. However, the principle of linear superposition, a central tenet of the theory, apparently contradicts a commonplace observation: macroscopic objects are never found in a linear superposition of position states. Moreover, the theory does not really explain as to why during a quantum measurement, deterministic evolution is replaced by probabilistic evolution, whose random outcomes obey the Born probability rule. In this article we review an experimentally falsifiable phenomenological proposal, known as Continuous Spontaneous Collapse: a stochastic non-linear modification of the Schrödinger equation, which resolves these problems, while giving the same experimental results as quantum theory in the microscopic regime. Two underlying theories for this phenomenology are reviewed: Trace Dynamics, and gravity induced collapse. As one approaches the macroscopic scale, the predictions of this proposal begin to differ appreciably from those of quantum theory, and are being confronted by ongoing laboratory experiments that include molecular interferometry and optomechanics. These experiments, which essentially test the validity of linear superposition for large systems, are reviewed here, and their technical challenges, current results, and future prospects summarized. We conclude that it is likely that over the next two decades or so, these experiments can verify or rule out the proposed stochastic modification of quantum theory.

quant-ph↗