Towards relativistic generalization of collapse models

TL;DR

This paper proposes a relativistic extension of collapse models in quantum mechanics, addressing previous issues like causality violations and infinite energy, by introducing a local field operator and Lorentz-invariant noise.

Contribution

It introduces a novel relativistic collapse master equation with local operators and non-Markovian noise, overcoming prior obstacles in relativistic quantum collapse models.

Findings

The new model maintains desirable non-relativistic limits.

It avoids microcausality violations and infinite energy production.

The proposed noise correlation function is Lorentz invariant.

Abstract

Spontaneous collapse models provide a possible, testable solution to the quantum measurement problem. While experiments are providing increasingly stronger bounds on their parameters, a full-fledged relativistic extension is still missing. Previous attempts have encoutered different obstacles, such as violation of microcausality, infinite energy rate, and particle production from vacuum. Here, we propose generalization of the collapse master equation that is characterized by a local field collapse operator and a non-Markovian noise with a Lorentz invariant correlation. Our construction is able to overcome previously encountered problems and has the desirable properties in the non relativistic limit. A specific choice of the noise correlation function is also introduced and discussed.