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Objective-collapse theories (GRW, Diósi–Penrose)

Giancarlo GhirardiAlberto RiminiTullio WeberLajos DiósiRoger Penrose

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For everyone

According to these theories the wave function collapses spontaneously through a physical process independent of any observer. For a single particle such collapse is very rare, but in large objects made of many particles it happens almost instantly, which explains why everyday objects are always found in one place. Unlike other interpretations they predict small deviations from standard quantum mechanics, so they can be tested by experiment.

For specialists

The GRW model (1986) assigns each particle a position collapse about once every 10¹⁶ seconds with a width of about 10⁻⁷ metres. Diósi and Penrose proposed models tying collapse to gravity. The collapse process should cause charged particles to emit weak spontaneous radiation. An experiment in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory did not find this radiation and ruled out the simplest, parameter-free version of the Diósi–Penrose model.

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

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Challenging

Experiment

A measurement with a germanium detector underground did not see the spontaneous radiation predicted by gravity-related collapse, ruling out the simplest version of the model.[2]

Connections

Parent

Interpretations of quantum mechanics

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Sources

  1. ArticleGhirardi, G. C.; Rimini, A.; Weber, T. (1986). Unified dynamics for microscopic and macroscopic systems. Physical Review D 34, 470–491DOI 10.1103/PhysRevD.34.470archive
  2. ArticleDonadi, S. et al. (2021). Underground test of gravity-related wave function collapse. Nature Physics 17, 74–78DOI 10.1038/s41567-020-1008-4archive
  3. EncyclopediaGhirardi, G.; Bassi, A.Collapse Theories. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophyplato.stanford.eduarchive

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APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Objective-collapse theories (GRW, Diósi–Penrose). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/nesnel-cokus/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_nesnel_cokus,
  title        = {Objective-collapse theories (GRW, Diósi–Penrose)},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/nesnel-cokus/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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