Are dynamical quantum jumps detector-dependent?

TL;DR

This paper proposes experimental tests to demonstrate that the observed quantum jumps of an atom depend on the measurement device used, highlighting the role of detection schemes in quantum trajectory evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a method to experimentally verify the detector-dependence of quantum jumps without special atom or field preparation, achievable at moderate detection efficiencies.

Findings

Tests can be performed with detection efficiency as low as 58%.

The stochastic evolution of an atom's quantum state varies with measurement scheme.

Provides a practical approach to confirm the measurement-dependent nature of quantum jumps.

Abstract

Dynamical quantum jumps were initially conceived by Bohr as objective events associated with the emission of a light quantum by an atom. Since the early 1990s they have come to be understood as being associated rather with the detection of a photon by a measurement device, and that different detection schemes result in different types of jumps (or diffusion). Here we propose experimental tests to rigorously prove the detector-dependence of the stochastic evolution of an individual atom. The tests involve no special preparation of the atom or field, and the required efficiency can be as low as \eta ~58%.