Large deviations principles and nature of quantum jumps

[J.F.]

Large deviations principles of Non-Freidlin-Wentzell type
http://arxiv.org/abs/0803.2072

Nature of quantum jumps
http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PRA/v45/i7/p4925_1
A. A. Broyles
Department of Physics, Institute for Fundamental Theory, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
Received 20 August 1991

Recent experiments have found abrupt changes in the intensity of laser light scattered off single ions and atoms. These abrupt changes have been interpreted as resulting from Bohr?s ??quantum jumps?? of the ion or atom from one state to another. In Bohr?s description, such quantum jumps are not predicted by the Schrödinger equation and are introduced by additional postulates into quantum theory. We consider here an alternative explanation of these experiments using only properties of solutions of the Schrödinger equation and avoiding Bohr?s added postulate.