Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Letter

Time-energy uncertainty relation for quantum events

Matteo Fadel1,2,* and Lorenzo Maccone3

  • 1Department of Physics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
  • 2Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
  • 3Dipartimento Fisica and INFN Pavia, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy

  • *fadelm@phys.ethz.ch

Phys. Rev. A 104, L050204 – Published 24 November, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.104.L050204

Abstract

Textbook quantum mechanics treats time as a classical parameter and not as a quantum observable with an associated Hermitian operator. For this reason, to make sense of usual time-energy uncertainty relations such as ΔtΔE≳ℏ, the term Δt must be interpreted as a time interval and not as a time measurement uncertainty due to quantum noise. However, quantum clocks allow for a measurement of the “time at which an event happens” by conditioning the system's evolution on an additional quantum degree of freedom. Within this framework we derive here two uncertainty relations that relate the uncertainty in the quantum measurement of the time at which a quantum event happens on a system to its energy uncertainty.

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Authorization Required

We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.

References (Subscription Required)

Outline

Information

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation