Wednesday Colloquia

Is Quantum Theory exact? Collapse models and possible violations of quantum linearity towards the macroscopic scale

by Prof. Angelo Bassi (University of Trieste, Italy)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at Colaba Campus ( AG - 66 )
Description The measurement problem casts serious doubts on quantum mechanics as a universal theory of Nature, since the linearity of the Schroedinger equation is in conflict with our everyday experience. Several solutions to this problem have been proposed. I will discuss on one such solution: models of spontaneous wave function collapse. I will describe their general properties. I will discuss the lower and upper bounds on the collapse parameters. I will review their status as phenomenological modifications of quantum mechanics, whose predictions can be tested experimentally.
Suggested reference: S.L. Adler and A. Bassi, Science 325, 275 (2009).