I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory.... more I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory. Then I argue in support of case specific arrival, dwell and relative time observables with a cautionary note concerning the broad approach to POVM observables because of the wild proliferation available.
Studies In History and Philosophy of Science Part B Studies In History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory.... more I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory. Then I argue in support of case specific arrival, dwell and relative time observables with a cautionary note concerning the broad approach to POVM observables because of the wild proliferation available.
George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywo... more George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywords. Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries.
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 2011
There is persistent heterodoxy in the physics literature concerning the proper treatment of those... more There is persistent heterodoxy in the physics literature concerning the proper treatment of those quantons that are unstable against spontaneous decay. Following a brief litany of this heterodoxy, I develop some of the consequences of assuming that such quantons can exist, undecayed and isolated, at definite times and that their Lorentz covariant treatment can be carried out within a standard quantum theoretic state space. This assumption requires hyperplane dependence for the unstable quanton states and leads to clarification of some recent results concerning deviations from relativistic time dilation of decay lifetimes. In the course of the discussion I make some observations on the relationship of unstable quantons to quantum fields.
George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywo... more George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywords. Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries.
Nuovo Cimento Della Societa Italiana Di Fisica A-nuclei Particles and Fields - NUOVO CIMENTO A-NUCL PART F, 1978
Summary The relation between two integral equations of the Trieste theory of unstable-particle d... more Summary The relation between two integral equations of the Trieste theory of unstable-particle decay is discussed and then rigorous inequalities are obtained for the dependence of the observed lifetime on the parameters of the measuring environment and for the deviation of the observed nondecay probability from exponential form.
Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, 1981
ABSTRACT Scalar waves propagated from a finite emitter in an inhomogeneous medium form caustics w... more ABSTRACT Scalar waves propagated from a finite emitter in an inhomogeneous medium form caustics whose geometry and location are functions of both the boundary conditions on the emitter and the inhomogeneity of the medium. The wave amplitude satisfies a Helmholtz equation. For the class of problems considered, a phase is derived from a characterisation of the medium and the boundary conditions on the emitter. The location and geometry of the caustic in configuration space is determined from phase space considerations through the Lagrange manifold. An oscillatory integral whose asymptotic expansion is that of the amplitude, is determined by a sharpening of Maslov's method (1972) of characteristics. Thom's theorem prescribes a normal form for the phase function in the integral. Transformations carrying the phase function to the canonical form are determined; then, following Duistermaat (1973), the complete asymptotic series of the integral, and hence of the amplitude, is obtained. The entire algorithm is illustrated with a specific example.
International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 1993
We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome independence to the linear an... more We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome independence to the linear and nonlinear models of a recent nonrelativistic theory of continuous statevector reduction. We show that in the nonlinear model there is a set of realizations of the stochastic process that drives the statevector reduction for which parameter independence is violated for parallel spin components in the EPR-Bohm setup. Such a set has an appreciable probability of occurrence (~ 1/2). On the other hand, the linear model exhibits only extremely small parameter dependence effects. The final section discusses the difficulties of finding a relativistic generalization of a parameter-dependent nonrelativistic theory. We identify this difficulty precisely and show how the weak parameter dependence of the linear model avoids it, provided one uses an appropriate criterion for the existence of definite outcomes.
We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome inde-pendence to the linear a... more We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome inde-pendence to the linear and nonlinear models of a reeent nonrelativistie theory of continuous state vector reduction. We show that in the nonlinear model there is a set of realizations of the ...
For over a decade several workers have argued for the existence of quantum deviations from the cl... more For over a decade several workers have argued for the existence of quantum deviations from the classical, Einstein dilation of the decay evolution of moving or Lorentz boosted unstable particles. While the general claim is correct, the discussions have been incomplete and, sometimes, misleading. The discussions have been of three kinds. Type 1 examines the time dependence of the survival probability for 3-momentum eigenstates of the unstable quanton (Khalfin). Type 2 does the same for velocity eigenstates, obtaining an outrageous result which then discredits velocity eigenstates (Shirokov / Hegerfeldt). Type 3 examines arbitrary boosts of 3-momentum eigenstates (Stefanovich). Type 1 is incomplete since the momentum eigenstates are not the boosts of one another. Type 2 is misleading since the outrageous result is due to misinterpreting the initial conditions of the velocity eigenstates (as I have previously argued). Type 3 is the most satisfactory, but has failed to recognize and implement the unification of all three types of discussion that can be achieved. In this paper I will provide that unified treatment, beginning with a recapitulation of Type 1 and offering further clarification of Type 2 in the process. The unified treatment fully reinstates velocity eigenstates as essential contributors to unstable quanton states. Besides discussing the time evolution of survival probabilities I also focus on the concept of lifetime defined as the average time of decay. This quantity is helpful in order to display the inequivalent dependence of dilation on momentum and boosts most sharply and the deviation from Einstein dilation most cleanly. *I follow Jean-Marc Levy-Leblond's proposed terminology [Le 88, 99].
I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory.... more I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory. Then I argue in support of case specific arrival, dwell and relative time observables with a cautionary note concerning the broad approach to POVM observables because of the wild proliferation available.
Studies In History and Philosophy of Science Part B Studies In History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory.... more I argue against a general time observable in quantum mechanics except for quantum gravity theory. Then I argue in support of case specific arrival, dwell and relative time observables with a cautionary note concerning the broad approach to POVM observables because of the wild proliferation available.
George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywo... more George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywords. Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries.
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 2011
There is persistent heterodoxy in the physics literature concerning the proper treatment of those... more There is persistent heterodoxy in the physics literature concerning the proper treatment of those quantons that are unstable against spontaneous decay. Following a brief litany of this heterodoxy, I develop some of the consequences of assuming that such quantons can exist, undecayed and isolated, at definite times and that their Lorentz covariant treatment can be carried out within a standard quantum theoretic state space. This assumption requires hyperplane dependence for the unstable quanton states and leads to clarification of some recent results concerning deviations from relativistic time dilation of decay lifetimes. In the course of the discussion I make some observations on the relationship of unstable quantons to quantum fields.
George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywo... more George Whitfield. [Physics Today 35, 69 (1982)]. Gordon Fleming, Santiago Polo, Peter Shaw. Keywords. Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries.
Nuovo Cimento Della Societa Italiana Di Fisica A-nuclei Particles and Fields - NUOVO CIMENTO A-NUCL PART F, 1978
Summary The relation between two integral equations of the Trieste theory of unstable-particle d... more Summary The relation between two integral equations of the Trieste theory of unstable-particle decay is discussed and then rigorous inequalities are obtained for the dependence of the observed lifetime on the parameters of the measuring environment and for the deviation of the observed nondecay probability from exponential form.
Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, 1981
ABSTRACT Scalar waves propagated from a finite emitter in an inhomogeneous medium form caustics w... more ABSTRACT Scalar waves propagated from a finite emitter in an inhomogeneous medium form caustics whose geometry and location are functions of both the boundary conditions on the emitter and the inhomogeneity of the medium. The wave amplitude satisfies a Helmholtz equation. For the class of problems considered, a phase is derived from a characterisation of the medium and the boundary conditions on the emitter. The location and geometry of the caustic in configuration space is determined from phase space considerations through the Lagrange manifold. An oscillatory integral whose asymptotic expansion is that of the amplitude, is determined by a sharpening of Maslov's method (1972) of characteristics. Thom's theorem prescribes a normal form for the phase function in the integral. Transformations carrying the phase function to the canonical form are determined; then, following Duistermaat (1973), the complete asymptotic series of the integral, and hence of the amplitude, is obtained. The entire algorithm is illustrated with a specific example.
International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 1993
We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome independence to the linear an... more We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome independence to the linear and nonlinear models of a recent nonrelativistic theory of continuous statevector reduction. We show that in the nonlinear model there is a set of realizations of the stochastic process that drives the statevector reduction for which parameter independence is violated for parallel spin components in the EPR-Bohm setup. Such a set has an appreciable probability of occurrence (~ 1/2). On the other hand, the linear model exhibits only extremely small parameter dependence effects. The final section discusses the difficulties of finding a relativistic generalization of a parameter-dependent nonrelativistic theory. We identify this difficulty precisely and show how the weak parameter dependence of the linear model avoids it, provided one uses an appropriate criterion for the existence of definite outcomes.
We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome inde-pendence to the linear a... more We apply the distinction between parameter independence and outcome inde-pendence to the linear and nonlinear models of a reeent nonrelativistie theory of continuous state vector reduction. We show that in the nonlinear model there is a set of realizations of the ...
For over a decade several workers have argued for the existence of quantum deviations from the cl... more For over a decade several workers have argued for the existence of quantum deviations from the classical, Einstein dilation of the decay evolution of moving or Lorentz boosted unstable particles. While the general claim is correct, the discussions have been incomplete and, sometimes, misleading. The discussions have been of three kinds. Type 1 examines the time dependence of the survival probability for 3-momentum eigenstates of the unstable quanton (Khalfin). Type 2 does the same for velocity eigenstates, obtaining an outrageous result which then discredits velocity eigenstates (Shirokov / Hegerfeldt). Type 3 examines arbitrary boosts of 3-momentum eigenstates (Stefanovich). Type 1 is incomplete since the momentum eigenstates are not the boosts of one another. Type 2 is misleading since the outrageous result is due to misinterpreting the initial conditions of the velocity eigenstates (as I have previously argued). Type 3 is the most satisfactory, but has failed to recognize and implement the unification of all three types of discussion that can be achieved. In this paper I will provide that unified treatment, beginning with a recapitulation of Type 1 and offering further clarification of Type 2 in the process. The unified treatment fully reinstates velocity eigenstates as essential contributors to unstable quanton states. Besides discussing the time evolution of survival probabilities I also focus on the concept of lifetime defined as the average time of decay. This quantity is helpful in order to display the inequivalent dependence of dilation on momentum and boosts most sharply and the deviation from Einstein dilation most cleanly. *I follow Jean-Marc Levy-Leblond's proposed terminology [Le 88, 99].
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Papers by Gordon N Fleming