Nonlinear gauge interactions - A solution to the "measurement problem" in quantum mechanics?

Abstract

We propose that the mechanism responsible for the ``collapse of the wave function" (or "decoherence" in its broadest meaning) in quantum mechanics is the nonlinearities already present in the theory via nonabelian gauge interactions. Unlike all other models of spontaneous collapse, our proposal is, to the best of our knowledge, the only one which does not introduce any new elements into the theory. Indeed, unless the gauge interaction nonlinearities are not used for exactly this purpose, one must then explain why the violation of the superposition principle which they introduce does not destroy quantum mechanics. A possible experimental test of the model would be to compare the coherence lengths for, e.g., electrons and photons in a double-slit experiment. The electrons should have a finite coherence length, while photons should have a much longer (in principle infinite) coherence length.