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1981

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February

  

Methodological notes


The uncertainty relation between energy and time of measurement


Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, Leninskie Gory 1 build. 2, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

Contrary to a wide-spread impression, the possibility of measuring an energy in a finite time without changing its initial value (E=E0) is not in contradiction with the principles of quantum mechanics. The relation Δ(EE0)Δt holds only in the case when the energy of interaction between the quantum system in question and the apparatus is a function of a coordinate of the system. The condition for a nonperturbing energy measurement is that the interaction energy H1, of the system and the apparatus depend on the energy operator ˆE and that the operators ˆH and ˆE commute. It is also possible to have a nonperturbing measurement in which the error in measuring the energy is so small that ΔE/Δt. Measurement of the energy of a given system is accompanied by an increase in the uncertainty Δε of the energy of the apparatus. The error ΔE in the measurement of the system's energy and the perturbation Δε of the energy of the apparatus are connected by the relations (ΔE+Δε)Δt and ΔEΔε)(/2Δt)2.

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Fulltext is also available at DOI: 10.1070/PU1981v024n02ABEH004638
PACS: 03.65.Bz
DOI: 10.1070/PU1981v024n02ABEH004638
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/1981/2/e/
Citation: Vorontsov Yu I "The uncertainty relation between energy and time of measurement" Sov. Phys. Usp. 24 150–158 (1981)
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Оригинал: Воронцов Ю И «Соотношение неопределенности энергия — время измерения» УФН 133 351–365 (1981); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0133.198102f.0351

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