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S. Colin

Publications and source records attributed to S. Colin.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Quantum relaxation in a system of harmonic oscillators with time-dependent coupling

In the context of the de Broglie-Bohm pilot wave theory, numerical simulations for simple systems have shown that states that are initially out of quantum equilibrium - thus violating the Born rule - usually relax over time to the expected $|\psi|^2$ distribution on a coarse-grained level. We analyze the relaxation of nonequilibrium initial distributions for a system of coupled one-dimensional harmonic oscillators in which the coupling depends explicitly on time through numerical simulations, focusing in the influence of different parameters such as the number of modes, the coarse-graining length and the coupling constant. We show that in general the system studied here tends to equilibrium, but the relaxation can be retarded depending on the values of the parameters, particularly to the one related to the strength of the interaction. Possible implications on the detection of relic nonequilibrium systems are discussed.

quant-ph

Non-locality and time-dependent boundary conditions: a Klein-Gordon perspective

The dynamics of a particle in an expanding cavity is investigated in the Klein-Gordon framework in a regime in which the single particle picture remains valid. The cavity expansion represents a time-dependent boundary condition for the relativistic wavefunction. We show that this expansion induces a non-local effect on the current density throughout the cavity. Our results indicate that a relativistic treatment still contains apparently spurious effects traditionally associated with the unbounded velocities inherent to non-relativistic solutions obtained from the Schroedinger equation. Possible reasons for this behaviour are discussed.

quant-ph

A Dirac sea pilot-wave model for quantum field theory

We present a pilot-wave model for quantum field theory in which the Dirac sea is taken seriously. The model ascribes particle trajectories to all the fermions, including the fermions filling the Dirac sea. The model is deterministic and applies to the regime in which fermion number is superselected. This work is a further elaboration of work by Colin, in which a Dirac sea pilot-wave model is presented for quantum electrodynamics. We extend his work to non-electromagnetic interactions, we discuss a cut-off regularization of the pilot-wave model and study how it reproduces the standard quantum predictions. The Dirac sea pilot-wave model can be seen as a possible continuum generalization of a lattice model by Bell. It can also be seen as a development and generalization of the ideas by Bohm, Hiley and Kaloyerou, who also suggested the use of the Dirac sea for the development of a pilot-wave model for quantum electrodynamics.

quant-ph