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Cited by 2,798Quantum Mechanics and ApplicationsNoncommutative and Quantum Gravity TheoriesQuantum chaos and dynamical systems

Unified dynamics for microscopic and macroscopic systems

Ghirardi, G. C., Rimini, A., Weber, T.·1986·Physical Review D
DOI 10.1103/physrevd.34.470
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Abstract

An explicit model allowing a unified description of microscopic and macroscopic systems is exhibited. First, a modified quantum dynamics for the description of macroscopic objects is constructed and it is shown that it forbids the occurrence of linear superpositions of states localized in far-away spatial regions and induces an evolution agreeing with classical mechanics. This dynamics also allows a description of the evolution in terms of trajectories. To set up a unified description of all physical phenomena, a modification of the dynamics, with respect to the standard Hamiltonian one, is then postulated also for microscopic systems. It is shown that one can consistently deduce from it the previously considered dynamics for the center of mass of macroscopic systems. Choosing in an appropriate way the parameters of the so-obtained model one can show that both the standard quantum theory for microscopic objects and the classical behavior for macroscopic objects can all be derived in a consistent way. In the case of a macroscopic system one can obtain, by means of appropriate approximations, a description of the evolution in terms of a phase-space density distribution obeying a Fokker-Planck diffusion equation. The model also provides the basis for a conceptually appealing description of quantum measurement.

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Crossref · 10.1103/physrevd.34.470

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  • Assumption (Q) is manifestly violated by theories that postulate a modification of standard quantum mechanics, such as spontaneous and gravity-induced collapse models.

    “Assumption (Q) is manifestly violated by theories that postulate a modification of standard quantum mechanics, such as spontaneous16–20 and gravity-induced21–23 collapse models (cf. 24 for a review).”

    From Quantum theory cannot consistently describe the use of itself (2018) · cites this paper as [16]

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Authors
Ghirardi, G. C., Rimini, A., & Weber, T.
Affiliations
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) (IT)
Venue
Physical Review D
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Published
1986-07-15
Volume
34
Issue
2
Pages
470-491
ISSN
0556-2821 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1103/physrevd.34.470
OpenAlex
W2082739523
Cited by
2,798
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 110 · 2025: 125 · 2024: 124 · 2023: 123 · 2022: 114 · 2021: 130 · 2020: 160 · 2019: 142 · 2018: 79 · 2017: 86 · 2016: 151 · 2015: 84 · 2014: 115 · 2013: 77 · 2012: 103
FWCI
7.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
link.aps.org/licenses/aps-default-license (vor)
Locations
  • Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ArTS Archivio della ricerca di Trieste (University of Trieste https://www.units.it/) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Quantum Mechanics and Applications
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Quantum chaos and dynamical systems
Keywords
quantum-to-classical transition, superposition states, classical trajectories, center of mass dynamics, phase space density, Fokker-Planck diffusion, quantum measurement

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