A general theory of quantum measurements

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2602.15075v1
• Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2026 04:15:46 GMT
• Title: A general theory of quantum measurements
• Authors: Shizhong Mei,
• Abstract summary: A universal energy eigenvalue equation is proposed in this paper.<n>It is proven that the unique set of eigenfunctions or preferred basis exists for any non-isolated sub-system.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: A universal energy eigenvalue equation is proposed in this paper. It is proven that the unique set of eigenfunctions or preferred basis exists for any non-isolated sub-system. Applying the new eigenvalue equation to the relative motion of a hydrogen atom together with the derived relativistic Hamiltonian to quantify the impact of finite proton mass to the fine structure, correction to the fine structure is obtained as a result of the entanglement of the relative motion and the center-of-mass motion, which can be used to verify the correctness of the proposed eigenvalue equation. Applying the equation to the measurement of electron double-slit interference, it is analyzed that the photon packets with Lorentzian spectral lineshape, the domain and state density of the sub-system, and the energy of the incident electron together determines the spontaneous emission rate of the incident electron. Photons generated in this process excite electrons from the valence band to the conduction band of the detector. Corresponding to any emitted or absorbed photon, the sub-system is found to be uniquely determined by maximizing the transition rate. This new principle is valid for atoms too. Closed-form expressions are obtained for the transition rates and example numerical results show good correlation between calculation and the position measurement experiment. The discovered common mechanisms that determine the sub-systems, the preferred bases, and transition rates form the foundation of a new, general, and consistent theory of quantum measurement.

Related papers

• Photon-mediated interactions and dynamics of coherently driven quantum emitters in complex photonic environments [41.94295877935867]
  Born-Markov master equations have been extensively employed in the description of quantum optical phenomena.<n>We benchmark this modeling approach for the quantum dynamics of the emitter pair against exact calculations based on a macroscopic field quantization formalism.<n>Our analysis reveals four distinct regimes of laser driving and frequency splitting that lead to markedly different levels of accuracy in the effective model.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-08-01T09:38:07Z)
• New Atomic Orbital Functions.Complete and Orthonormal Sets of ETOs with Non-integer Quantum Numbers.Results for He-like atoms [0.0]
  Hartree-Fock-Rothaan equations for He-like ions are solved using the iterative self-consistent method.<n>New complete and orthonormal sets of exponential-type orbitals are employed as the basis.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-04-14T10:42:04Z)
• Quantum optical scattering by macroscopic lossy objects: A general approach [55.2480439325792]
  We develop a general approach to describe the scattering of quantum light by a lossy macroscopic object placed in vacuum.<n>We exploit the input-output relation to connect the output state of the field to the input one.<n>We analyze the impact of the classical transmission and absorption dyadics on the transitions from ingoing to outgoing s-polariton.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-11-27T17:44:29Z)
• A Theory of Quantum Jumps [44.99833362998488]
  We study fluorescence and the phenomenon of quantum jumps'' in idealized models of atoms coupled to the quantized electromagnetic field. Our results amount to a derivation of the fundamental randomness in the quantum-mechanical description of microscopic systems.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-04-16T11:00:46Z)
• Quantum hydrodynamics of coupled electron-nuclear systems [0.0]
  The quantum dynamics of electron-nuclear systems is analyzed from the perspective of the exact factorization of the wavefunction. For pure states this is accomplished with a quantum hydrodynamical description of the nuclear dynamics and electronic density operators tied to the fluid elements. The theory presented here bridges exact quantum dynamics with several mixed quantum-classical approaches currently in use to tackle non-adiabatic molecular problems.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-12T23:26:27Z)
• Vacuum polarization correction to atomic energy levels in the path integral formalism [0.17404865362620806]
  We apply quantum electrodynamics in a framework which treats the strong binding nuclear field to all orders. Expressions for the vacuum polarization shift of binding energies are obtained from the poles of the spectral function up to second order.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-09-24T19:56:45Z)
• Measuring Electron Correlation. The Impact of Symmetry and Orbital Transformations [0.0]
  Measures of electron correlation used in wavefunction theory, density functional theory and quantum information theory are briefly reviewed. We focus on a more traditional metric based on dominant weights in the full configuration solution. The impact of symmetry is discussed and we emphasize that the distinction between determinants, configuration state functions and configurations as reference functions is useful.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-01-30T11:59:23Z)
• Entanglement of annihilation photons [141.5628276096321]
  We present the results of a new experimental study of the quantum entanglement of photon pairs produced in positron-electron annihilation at rest. Despite numerous measurements, there is still no experimental proof of the entanglement of photons.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-10-14T08:21:55Z)
• Role of the electromagnetic vacuum in the transition from classical to quantum mechanics [0.0]
  We revisit the nonrelativistic problem of a bound, charged particle subject to the random zero-point radiation field (ZPF) We reveal the mechanism that takes it from the initially classical description to the final quantum-mechanical one.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-03-21T23:57:52Z)
• Light-matter interactions near photonic Weyl points [68.8204255655161]
  Weyl photons appear when two three-dimensional photonic bands with linear dispersion are degenerated at a single momentum point, labeled as Weyl point. We analyze the dynamics of a single quantum emitter coupled to a Weyl photonic bath as a function of its detuning with respect to the Weyl point.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-12-23T18:51:13Z)
• General quantum-mechanical solution for twisted electrons in a uniform magnetic field [68.8204255655161]
  A theory of twisted (and other structured) paraxial electrons in a uniform magnetic field is developed. The observable effect of a different behavior of relativistic Laguerre-Gauss beams with opposite directions of the orbital angular momentum penetrating from the free space into a magnetic field is predicted.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-05-13T16:35:10Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.