Estimating the reduction time of quantum states

Abstract

An effective description of microscopic measurements is given, in which the precise moment of probing is not determined. Within this scenario we propose a scheme that relies on an "attempt" to make a forbidden simultaneous measurement of two incompatible observables. Although bound to failure in what concerns this goal, the process can lead to information on a possible non-vanishing time scale $\delta t$ involved in the collapsing of the wave function, even if the duration $\Delta t$ of the individual measurements is much larger than $\delta t$.