Abstract
We may infer a transition |n⟩→|m⟩ between energy eigenstates of an open quantum system by observing the emission of a photon of Bohr frequency ωmn=(En−Em)/ℏ. In addition to the "collapses" to the state |m⟩, the measurement must also have brought into existence the pre-measurement state |n⟩. As quantum trajectories are based on past observations, the condition state will jump to |m⟩, but the state |n⟩ does not feature in any essential way. We resolve this paradox by looking at quantum smoothing and derive the time-symmetric model for quantum jumps.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 69-76 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Reports on Mathematical Physics |
Volume | 85 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 28 Feb 2020 |
Keywords
- continuous measurement
- filtering
- photon counting
- quantum jumps
- retrodiction