Certain neutron scattering experiments indicate that protons pairs, or larger clusters, may stay quantum entangled in condensed matter for measurable times. This was first observed in Compton scattering of neutrons, a method which has a time-window of 10(-16) - 10(-15) s, but recent experiments with slow neutrons have given supporting evidence that isolated proton dimers in a crystalline material may stay quantum coherent for considerably longer times. Mechanisms leading to local proton entanglement are discussed briefly and a model for neutron scattering on correlated proton pairs is presented, which explains the observed decrease of cross-section as a result of destructive interferences for the particular case when a neutron scatters on two indistinguishable particles. The loss of interference, and the return of the cross-section to its normal value at longer times, is described by a quantitative decoherence model for the protons in water when perturbed by the fluctuating hydrogen bonds.
CITATION STYLE
Karlsson, E. B. (2005). Proton-Proton Correlations in Condensed Matter (pp. 535–548). https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3283-8_35
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