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Relativistic Measurement Backaction in the Quantum Dirac Oscillator
Keye Zhang1,2, Lu Zhou1,2, Pierre Meystre3
1Quantum Institute for Light and Atoms, School of Physics and Material Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China.
Physical Review Letters
|September 29, 2018
Summary
Quantum mechanics free subsystems (QMFS) offer a way to avoid measurement backaction. However, relativistic systems like the Dirac oscillator show that Zitterbewegung fundamentally limits QMFS feasibility.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Physics
- Relativistic Quantum Mechanics
- Atomic Physics
Background:
- Quantum measurement backaction is a fundamental challenge in quantum mechanics.
- Quantum mechanics free subsystems (QMFS) provide a potential solution by utilizing oscillators with opposite effective masses.
- Negative energies and masses are characteristic of relativistic systems, prompting an investigation into QMFS realization in this context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of realizing quantum mechanics free subsystems (QMFS) in relativistic systems.
- To identify the physical mechanisms limiting QMFS in a one-dimensional Dirac oscillator.
- To propose an experimental setup for observing the analog of virtual pair creation in quantum measurement backaction.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical investigation of a one-dimensional Dirac oscillator.
- Analysis of conditions for achieving QMFS in this system.
- Proposal of a tabletop experiment using spin-orbit coupled ultracold atomic samples.
Main Results:
- Zitterbewegung, or virtual pair creation, is identified as a fundamental limitation to QMFS in relativistic systems.
- The Dirac oscillator serves as a model to understand these limitations.
- A tabletop Dirac oscillator system is proposed for experimental verification.
Conclusions:
- The feasibility of QMFS in relativistic systems is fundamentally limited by Zitterbewegung.
- Ultracold atomic systems offer a platform to experimentally study these quantum phenomena.
- Direct observation of virtual pair creation's effect on quantum measurement backaction is achievable.
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