IL NUOVO CIMENTO VoL. 29 B, N. 1 l l Set tembre 1975

Toward an Objective Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.

D. BEDFORD and D. WANG

Physics Department, University o] Natal - Durban

(Nuovo Cimento, 26 B, 313 (1975))

In Seettion 2, paragraph 3, of this paper it is incorrectly s ta ted tha t (< since the maximum possible Ap~ is h/d (occurring for x : d/2), then ApH< h/d implies A x e > d, which destroys the double-slit pa t te rn >). This is true only in the case oJ~d and the sentence should read <~ since the maximum possible Apt is h/w, then ApH< h/co implies A x H > w which destroys the double-sli t pattern,~. Consequently, condition (3) should read

h d m ~ - - �9 - .

~ t c ~ o

Although this is not experimental ly incompatible with the result following from the criterion ]or spontaneous collapse as s tated in eq. (4), i t to some extent weakens the justification for tha t par t icular choice of criterion.

However, the criterion may yet be justified as follows: I f w ~ d , as the mass m of the sl i t-assembly is reduced, quantum mechanics predicts a destruction of the pa t te rn at a larger mass than is predicted by the collapse criterion. This would then mean tha t the pa t te rn could be disrupted by (( phase randomizat ion ~) prior to collapse, and these are compatible. If w ~ d , then so tong as the Heisenberg spread on the sl i t-assembly is a superposition (as is, after all, implied by the concept of wave packet) ra ther than a mixture, the double-sli t pa t tern will, according to Q.M,, be destroyed unless ~x<d ( immediate ly before equation (4)), and condition (3) again reads

h

2c

252