Spontaneous collapse effects on relativistic fermionic matter

Abstract This study expands the spontaneous collapse assumptions into the relativistic quantum field theory framework for Dirac fields. By solving Lindblad’s master equation using the Keldysh formalism, the effective action is derived, which captures the dynamics of fermions with spontaneous collapse represented as an imaginary self-interaction term. Utilizing the corresponding Dyson–Schwinger equations at 1-loop approximation, the effective mass induced by the nonlinearity is computed. The findings indicate the presence of a new mechanism that introduces a qualitative change in the mass spectrum, where the particle’s mass becomes complex. Based on the stability of the proton, new bounds on the parameters are found. This mechanism also generates a Lorentz invariance violation in the infrared regime and recovers the Lorentz invariance in the ultraviolet regime. The corresponding hydrodynamics of the system is analyzed through the Keldysh component of the propagator, and a conserved charge is found. In contrast, the energy–momentum tensor is shown to be non-conserving. This phenomenon represents a new contribution to the understanding of the spontaneous collapse and the transition from quantum to the classical realm.