Osnabrück 2002 – scientific programme

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Q: Quantenoptik

Q 231: Post Deadline

Q 231.4: Talk

Tuesday, March 5, 2002, 19:30–19:40, HS 11/215

Time in Quantum Mechanics — •Kim Bostroem — Universitaet Potsdam, Institut fuer Physik

Time plays a fundamental role in all observations and experimental settings. However, in the basic lectures of quantum mechanics we learn that "time is not an observable" and is hence not treated on the same footing as space. Unfortunately, there is some confusion about the reasons for such special treatment of time. I give a short review of the problematic aspects of a "time observable" and point out that the roots of these problems lie in the conceptual foundation of quantum theory. If one insisted on describing time in a genuinely quantum mechanical way, one would be forced to modify the theory.