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Detecting quantum fields: from pointlike to macroscopic detectors

Since the 1990s, we know that the way we model measurements in standard quantum mechanics cannot be extended to quantum field theory, because projective measurements conflict with relativity.

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Particle detectors (i.e., non-relativistic quantum mechanical systems that interact with quantum fields) are a well-understood tool that allows us to formulate a general measurement scheme for quantum fields, but they are usually highly-idealized models, e.g., single qubits or harmonic oscillators. In this talk, we will introduce a model of macroscopic detector which aims to better represent the kind of detectors used in realistic experiments. We will study its dynamics and its causal behaviour, concluding with an analysis of how the measurement of some relevant observables scales with the number of constituents of the detector, enhancing some phenomena and hindering others.

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Speaker: José Polo-Gómez (Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics)

Time: 14:00