2003/10/30 by Lajos Diosi, Lajos Diósi · 1 citation
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Statistical Mechanics and Entropy #gr-qc #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.92.170401
published as Phys.Rev.Lett. 92 (2004) 170401 · 3pp, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett
arxiv created 2003/10/30 · openalex publication_date 2004/04/26 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The theory of decoherent histories is checked for the requirement of statistical independence of subsystems. Strikingly, this is satisfied only when the decoherence functional is diagonal in both its real and imaginary parts. Although the weakened condition of consistency (or weak decoherence), allowing a nondiagonal imaginary part, is sufficient for the assignment of probabilities, it may easily violate the statistical independence of subsystems. Therefore, weakened consistency conditions and various related generalizations of the concept of decoherent histories appear to be ruled out. The same conclusion is obtained independently, by claiming a plausible dynamical robustness of decoherent histories.