Is spontaneous wave function collapse testable at all?

TL;DR

This paper critically examines the testability of spontaneous wave function collapse models, highlighting the lack of explicit detection principles and the need to relate them to standard quantum measurement theory.

Contribution

It clarifies the conceptual relationship between spontaneous collapse models and standard monitoring, proposing lessons to improve their testability and physical detectability.

Findings

Spontaneous collapse detection is currently impossible without identifying measurement signals.

Standard monitoring theory provides essential lessons for assessing collapse model testability.

Current collapse models lack explicit principles for physical detection.

Abstract

Mainstream literature on spontaneous wave function collapse never reflects on or profit from the formal coincidence and conceptual relationship with standard collapse under time-continuous quantum measurement (monitoring). I propose some easy lessons of standard monitoring theory which would make spontaneous collapse models revise some of their claims. In particular, the objective detection of spontaneous collapse remains impossible as long as the correct identification of what corresponds to the signal in standard monitoring is missing from spontaneous collapse models, the physical detectability of the "signal" is not stated explicitly and, finally, the principles of physical detection are not revealed.