Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Any proposed solution to the screen problem in quantum mechanics—the challenge of predicting the joint distribution of particle arrival times and impact positions—must align with the extensive data obtained from scattering experiments. In this paper, we conduct a direct consistency check of the absorbing boundary condition (ABC) proposal, a prominent approach to address the screen problem, against the predictions derived from scattering theory (ST). Through a series of exactly solvable one- and two-dimensional examples, we demonstrate that the ABC proposal's predictions are in tension with the well-established results of ST. Specifically, it predicts sharp momentum- and screen-orientation-dependent detection probabilities, along with secondary reflections that contradict existing experimental data. We conclude that while it remains possible that physical detectors described by the ABC proposal could be found in the future, the proposal is empirically inadequate as a general solution to the screen problem, as it is inconsistent with the behavior of detectors in standard experimental settings.
Source: Physical Review A
DOI: 10.1103/332p-4nl1
Authors: Will Cavendish, Siddhant Das
Institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,675
OpenAlex ID: W4417268449