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Phys. Rev. A 42, 1057–1064 (1990)

Continuous-spontaneous-reduction model involving gravity

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GianCarlo Ghirardi
Dipartimento di Fisica Teorica dell’Università, Trieste, Italy
International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy

Renata Grassi
Dipartimento di Fisica Teorica dell’Università, Trieste, Italy

Alberto Rimini
Dipartimento di Fisica Nucleare e Teorica dell’Università, Pavia, Italy

Received 7 May 1990; published in the issue dated August 1990

A continuous-reduction model implying the dynamical suppression of linear superpositions of macroscopically distinguishable states, presented recently by Diòsi [Phys. Rev. A 40, 1165 (1989)], is investigated. The model exhibits appealing features; in particular, it relates reduction to gravity and contains no constants besides Newton’s gravitational constant G. It turns out, however, that the model is not fully consistent. A slight modification of this model is proposed, which overcomes the difficulties and retains partially its appealing features. The resulting model deals with systems containing distinguishable or identical constituents, allows the derivation from microdynamics of wave-packet reduction, and accounts for the emergence of definite macroscopic properties for macro-objects. Reduction is related to gravity in the same way as in Diòsi’s model, but a fundamental length must be introduced to avoid inconsistencies.

© 1990 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.42.1057
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevA.42.1057
PACS:
03.65.Bz, 02.50.+s