- #1
ralqs
- 99
- 1
What is the experimental evidence that a wavefunction will collapse to a dirac delta function, and not something more 'smeared' out?
Nowhere. Virtually all QM textbooks ignore the interpretation and use the 'shut up and calculate' approach. It is up to you if you want to reduce the wavefunction at some stage or not yet. Of course - textbooks advice you to do this in common-sense justified situations.mr. vodka said:but where in the books is it stated that the wave doesn't actually become an eigenvector of the operator
I'll split this into two:mr. vodka said:what are your arguments for not viewing it as a collapsing to a delta-function?
which I don't agree with, or at least you need to explain why you believe that we do not. After all, if you really interpret psi as predicting the number appearing on the screen of your measuring apparatus (or at least the probability distribution thereof...), then I'd ask: but don't we always get a certain number? (you, as the experimentator, might add a(n un)certainty interval, but that's you doing that, not nature)It may be (it is!) a good approximation, but in reality we never measure any value with perfect precision.
Wavefunction collapse, also known as the collapse of the wavefunction or the measurement problem, is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the wave-like nature of a particle collapses into a single definite state when measured or observed. This means that the particle is no longer in a superposition of multiple states, but instead exists in a single, specific state.
A Dirac delta function, also known as the Dirac delta distribution, is a mathematical function that represents an infinitely narrow and infinitely tall spike at a specific point. It is often used in physics and engineering to represent a point charge or a point mass in a mathematical model.
Dirac delta functions are often used to represent the collapse of a wavefunction in quantum mechanics. When a measurement is made, the wavefunction collapses into a single state, represented by a Dirac delta function at that specific point. This allows for the calculation of probabilities and the prediction of outcomes in quantum systems.
No, wavefunction collapse cannot be observed directly. It is a theoretical concept that explains the behavior of particles at a quantum level. However, the effects of wavefunction collapse can be observed through experiments and measurements in quantum systems.
Wavefunction collapse and Dirac delta functions are used extensively in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory to describe and predict the behavior of particles at a subatomic level. They are crucial in understanding and developing technologies such as quantum computing and quantum cryptography. They are also used in various other fields such as signal processing, image processing, and probability theory.