We define and investigate,via numerical analysis,a one dimensional toymodel of a cloud chamber.An energetic quantum particle,whose initial state is a superposition of two identical wave packets with opposite average m...We define and investigate,via numerical analysis,a one dimensional toymodel of a cloud chamber.An energetic quantum particle,whose initial state is a superposition of two identical wave packets with opposite average momentum,interacts during its evolution and exchanges(small amounts of)energy with an array of localized spins.Triggered by the interaction with the environment,the initial superposition state turns into an incoherent sum of two states describing the following situation:or the particle is going to the left and a large number of spins on the left side changed their states,or the same is happening on the right side.This evolution is reminiscent of what happens in a cloud chamber where a quantum particle,emitted as a spherical wave by a radioactive source,marks its passage inside a supersaturated vapour-chamber in the form of a sequence of small liquid bubbles arranging themselves around a pssible classical trajectory of the particle.展开更多
基金The authors would like to acknowledge support from the ANR LODIQUAS(Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Low Dimensional Quantum Systems,2011-2014)and FIR grant Cond-Math RBFR13WAET.
文摘We define and investigate,via numerical analysis,a one dimensional toymodel of a cloud chamber.An energetic quantum particle,whose initial state is a superposition of two identical wave packets with opposite average momentum,interacts during its evolution and exchanges(small amounts of)energy with an array of localized spins.Triggered by the interaction with the environment,the initial superposition state turns into an incoherent sum of two states describing the following situation:or the particle is going to the left and a large number of spins on the left side changed their states,or the same is happening on the right side.This evolution is reminiscent of what happens in a cloud chamber where a quantum particle,emitted as a spherical wave by a radioactive source,marks its passage inside a supersaturated vapour-chamber in the form of a sequence of small liquid bubbles arranging themselves around a pssible classical trajectory of the particle.