Abstract
The property of fundamental mechanical theories which allows one to treat compound objects as particles under suitable conditions is considered. It is argued that such a property, called composition invariance, is a nonreleasable property of any fundamental mechanical theory. The proof that standard quantum mechanics enjoys composition invariance is reviewed. Finally, it is shown that the requirement of composition invariance allows one to choose between two alternative forms of quantum mechanics with spontaneous localization.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G. C. Ghirardi, A. Rimini, and T. Weber, inQuantum Probability and Applications II, L. Accardi and W. von Waldenfels, eds. (Lecture Notes in Mathematics, Vol. 1136) (Springer, Berlin, 1985), p. 223.
G. C. Ghirardi, A. Rimini, and T. Weber,Phys. Rev. D 34, 470 (1986);Phys. Rev. D 36, 3287 (1987).
L. Diósi,Phys. Lett. A 129, 419 (1988).
P. Pearle,Phys. Rev. A 39, 2277 (1989).
N. Gisin,Helv. Phys. Acta 62, 363 (1989).
G. C. Ghirardi, P. Pearle, and A. Rimini,Phys. Rev. A 42, 78 (1990).
M. Buffa, O. Nicrosini, and A. Rimini,Found Phys. Lett. 8, 105 (1995).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rimini, A. Compound objects as particles in quantum mechanics. Found Phys 27, 1689–1699 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02551445
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02551445