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 22 Feb 2012, 16:00 → 17:00 Asia/Kolkata

AG - 66 (Colaba Campus)

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).