High School Quantum field theory and the collapse of the wave function

[Joao]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the bad english!

So, just a quick doubt... Does things collapse from a wave of probability into a quantum field or is the wave in the quantum field the probabilistic wave itself?

An example to make it clearer:
Suppose we have an atom, it enters an atom interferometer, it takes both paths simultaneously and exists into one exit or the other...

So, when its traveling inside the interferometer, is its travel represented as an wave in its various fields (like the up quark field, the down quark field) and this wave is a probabilistic wave or does the atom stops being represented as waves in the quantum fields to be represented as a probabilistic wave, and when its measured it collapses into the quantum field?

Thanks! =)

 

[A. Neumaier]

Does things collapse from a wave of probability into a quantum field or is the wave in the quantum field the probabilistic wave itself?

neither. State vectors (which are wave functions in the simplest cases only) collapse to other state vectors, and are very different objects from quantum fields.

 

[Joao]

neither. State vectors (wave functions in the simplest cases only) collapse to other state vectors, and are very different objects from quantum fields.

Thanks a lot for the answer! Now that's a possibility I didn't considered and, to be honest, I don't fully understand! I'll try to look more into what you just said! Thanks!