Spontaneous Collapse Models

TL;DR

Collapse models modify quantum mechanics with non-linear stochastic terms to explain wavefunction collapse, bridging quantum and classical regimes, and can be experimentally tested to set bounds on their parameters.

Contribution

This paper introduces and reviews key collapse models, discusses experimental tests, and explores their generalizations, advancing understanding of quantum measurement and potential deviations from standard quantum theory.

Findings

Collapse models predict deviations from quantum mechanics.

Experiments can set bounds on collapse parameters.

Generalizations include colored and dissipative models.

Abstract

Collapse models are phenomenological models introduced to solve the measurement problem in quantum mechanics. They modify the Schr\"odinger equation by adding non-linear and stochastic terms, which induce the wavefunction collapse in space. The collapse effects are negligible for microscopic systems but become dominant in the macroscopic regime, thus also describing coherently the quantum-to-classical transition. Collapse models make different predictions compared to those of quantum mechanics; hence they can be tested. Here we introduce the most relevant collapse models present in the literature, and describe their main features. We also discuss how one can test them in different experiments, underlying the differences with predictions of quantum mechanics, and show how these experiments can set bounds on the collapse parameters. We conclude with a brief summary of the colored and dissipative generalization of such models and their experimental tests.