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W. M. de Muynck

Publications and source records attributed to W. M. de Muynck.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

On the feasibility and usefulness of applying the `Schrödinger c.q. Liouville-von Neumann equation' to quantum measurement

The present paper is a sequel to papers dealing with recent developments on the issue of `quantum measurement'. In this paper `measurement within the domain of application of quantum mechanics' is treated as a \emph{quantum mechanical} \emph{interaction} of a `(sub)microscopic object $(o)$' and an `equally (sub)microscopic part of the measuring instrument $(a)$ being sensitive to the (sub)microscopic information', that interaction to be described by a Schrödinger equation. The Stern-Gerlach experiment is used as a paradigmatic example. An alternative to the Heisenberg inequality is found, exhibiting the \emph{independent} contributions of `preparation of the initial state of object $(o)$' \emph{and} `interaction of object $(o)$ \emph{and} measuring instrument/probe $(a)$'. Applicability of the Liouville-von Neumann equation is stressed.

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Towards a Neo-Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

The Copenhagen interpretation is critically considered. A number of ambiguities, inconsistencies and confusions are discussed. It is argued that it is possible to purge the interpretation so as to obtain a consistent and reasonable way to interpret the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics, which is in agreement with the way this theory is dealt with in experimental practice. In particular, the essential role attributed by the Copenhagen interpretation to measurement is acknowledged. For this reason it is proposed to refer to it as a neo-Copenhagen interpretation.

quant-ph

The Haroche-Ramsey experiment as a generalized measurement

A number of atomic beam experiments, related to the Ramsey experiment and a recent experiment by Brune et al., are studied with respect to the question of complementarity. Three different procedures for obtaining information on the state of the incoming atom are compared. Positive operator-valued measures are explicitly calculated. It is demonstrated that, in principle, it is possible to choose the experimental arrangement so as to admit an interpretation as a joint non-ideal measurement yielding interference and ``which-way'' information. Comparison of the different measurements gives insight into the question of which information is provided by a (generalized) quantum mechanical measurement. For this purpose the subspaces of Hilbert-Schmidt space, spanned by the operators of the POVM, are determined for different measurement arrangements and different values of the parameters.

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