Schrodinger-Newton equation as a possible generator of quantum state reduction

Jasper van Wezel (1) , Jeroen van den Brink (2)

1 Homerton College
2 Intstitute-Lorentz

It has been suggested by Penrose that the occurrence of quantum state reduction in macroscopic objects is related to a manifestation of gravitational effects in quantum mechanics. Although within his framework the dynamics of the quantum state reduction is not prescribed, it was suggested that the so called Schrodinger-Newton equation can be used to at least identify the resulting classical end states. Here we analyze the extent to which the Schr¨odinger-Newton equation can be used as a model to generate a full, time dependent description of the quantum state reduction process. We find that when supplied with an imaginary gravitational potential, the Schr¨odinger-Newton equation offers a rationalisation for some of the hitherto unexplained characteristics of quantum state reduction. The description remains incomplete however, because it is unclear how to fully recover Born's rule.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Jasper van Wezel, Jeroen van den Brink. Schrodinger-Newton equation as a possible generator of quantum state reduction. Philosophical Magazine, 2008, 88 (11), pp.1659-1671. ⟨10.1080/14786430802251439⟩. ⟨hal-00513918⟩