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Title Measurement and quasi-states in quantum mechanics
Creator/Author Harper, C.D.
Publication Date1987 Jan 01
OSTI IdentifierOSTI ID: 5300276
Resource TypeThesis/Dissertation
Resource RelationThesis (Ph. D.)
Research OrgIllinois Univ., Urbana (USA)
Subject657002 -- Theoretical & Mathematical Physics-- Classical & Quantum Mechanics; QUANTUM MECHANICS-- MATHEMATICAL LOGIC; COMMUTATION RELATIONS;PROJECTION OPERATORS;VECTORS
Related SubjectMATHEMATICAL OPERATORS;MECHANICS;TENSORS
Description/Abstract Part of the task of quantum logic is to account for the collapse of the state vector during measurement.^A difficulty in this is that it is not obvious how to describe measurement quantum mechanically as the interaction of two or more systems; interacting quantum-mechanical systems do not possess states, so their states cannot collapse.^This dissertation shows that component systems of a composite system possess families of state-like vectors.^These are the quasi-projections of the state vector of the composite system, each associated with a family of commutable observables.^Often these quasi-projections cluster so closely around a quasi-state that they are practically indistinguishable from it.^A description of measurement based on quasi-projections reveals the apparent collapse of the state vector during measurement to be illusory.^The continuous evolution of the state of the composite system give rise to abrupt changes in the quasi-projections which make it appear that the state has changed.^The quasi-projections cease to cluster near one quasi-state, are momentarily scattered, and then cluster again near another quasi-state.^The concept of quasi-projection is also used to generalize the quantum logic of Birkhoff and von Neumann in such a fashion that a proposition can always be assigned a truth value.
PublisherUniv. of Illinois,Urbana-Champaign, IL
Country of PublicationUnited States
LanguageEnglish
FormatPages: 97
AvailabilityUniversity Microfilms Order No. 87-11,805.
System Entry Date2001 May 13

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