Does the Mott problem extend to Geiger counters?

Abstract: The Mott problem is a simpler version of the quantum measurement problem that asks: Is there a microscopic physical mechanism – based (explicitly or implicitly) only on Schroedinger’s equation – that explains why a single alpha particle emitted in a single spherically symmetric s-wave nuclear decay produces a manifestly nonspherically symmetric single track in a cloud chamber? I attempt here to generalize earlier work that formulated such a mechanism. The key ingredient there was identification of sites at which the cross section for ionization by a passing charged particle is near singular at ionization threshold. This near singularity arose from a Penning-like process involving molecular polarization in subcritical vapor clusters. Here, I argue that the same Mott problem question should be asked about Geiger counters. I then define a simple experiment to determine if ionization physics similar to the cloud chamber case takes place in the mica window of a Geiger counter and explains the collimation of wavefunctions that are spherically symmetric outside the counter into linear ion tracks inside. The experiment measures the count rate from a radioactive point source as a function of source-window separation. I have performed a proof of concept of this experiment; results are reported here and support the near-singular-ionization picture. These results are significant in their own right, and they may shed light on physical mechanisms underlying instances of the full quantum measurement problem. I illustrate this for the Stern–Gerlach experiment and a particular realization of superconducting qubits. I conclude by detailing further work required to flesh out these results more rigorously.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Does the Mott problem extend to Geiger counters? ; volume:21 ; number:1 ; year:2023 ; extent:10 ; Open physics ; 21, Heft 1 (2023) (gesamt 10)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Schonfeld, Jonathan F.

Further information

• DOI: 10.1515/phys-2023-0125
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023102814025383020869
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:47 AM CEST