Continuous measurements in quantum systems

During a continuous measurement, quantum systems can be described by a stochastic Schr\"odinger equation which, in the appropriate limit, reproduces the von Neumann wave-function collapse. The average behavior on the ensemble of all measurement results is described by a master equation obtained from a general model of measurement apparatus consisting of an infinite set of degrees of freedom linearly interacting with the measured system and in contact with a reservoir at high temperature.