We show that semiclassical formulas such as the Gutzwiller trace formula can be implemented on a quantum computer more efficiently than on a classical device. We give explicit quantum algorithms which yield quantum observables from classical trajectories, and which alternatively test the semiclassical approximation by computing classical actions from quantum evolution. The gain over classical computation is in general quadratic, and can be larger in some specific cases.
The semiclassically scaled time-dependent multi-particle Schrödinger equation describes, inter alia, quantum dynamics of nuclei in a molecule. It poses the combined computational challenges of high oscillations and high dimensions. This paper reviews and studies numerical approaches that are robust to the small semiclassical parameter. We present and analyse variationally evolving Gaussian wave packets, Hagedorn's semiclassical wave packets, continuous superpositions of both thawed and frozen Gaussians, and Wigner function approaches to the direct computation of expectation values of observabl…
A semiclassical formula for the coherent-state propagator requires the determination of specific classical paths inhabiting a complex phase-space through a Hamiltonian flux. Such trajectories are constrained to special boundary conditions which render their determination difficult by common methods. In this paper we present a new method based on Runge-Kutta integrator for a quick, easy and accurate determination of these trajectories. Using nonlinear one dimensional systems we show that the semiclassical formula is highly accurate as compared to its exact counterpart . Further we clarify how t…
A explicit formula on semiclassical Green functions in mixed position and momentum spaces is given, which is based on Maslov's multi-dimensional semiclassical theory. The general formula includes both coordinate and momentum representations of Green functions as two special cases of the form.
We investigate the Dirac equation in the semiclassical limit \hbar --> 0. A semiclassical propagator and a trace formula are derived and are shown to be determined by the classical orbits of a relativistic point particle. In addition, two phase factors enter, one of which can be calculated from the Thomas precession of a classical spin transported along the particle orbits. For the second factor we provide an interpretation in terms of dynamical and geometric phases.
The generalized h-dependent operator algebra is defined ($0\leq h \leq h_o$). For h= h_o it becomes equivalent to the quantum mechanical algebra of observables and for h=0 it is equivalent to the classical one. We show this by proposing how the main features of both mechanics can be defined in operator form.
We present a semiclassical trace formula for the canonical partition function of arbitrary one-dimensional systems. The approximation is obtained via the stationary exponent method applied to the phase-space integration of the density operator in the coherent state representation. The formalism is valid in the low temperature limit, presenting accurate results in this regime. As illustrations we consider a quartic Hamiltonian that cannot be split into kinetic and potential parts, and a system with two local minima. Applications to spin systems are also presented.
Gutzwiller's famous semiclassical trace formula plays an important role in theoretical and experimental quantum mechanics with tremendous success. We review the physical derivation of this deep periodic orbit theory in terms of the phase space formulation with an view towards the Hamiltonian dynamical systems. The Maslov phase appearing in the trace formula is clarified by Meinrenken as Conley-Zhender index for periodic orbits of Hamiltonian systems. We also survey and compare various versions of Maslov indices to establish this fact. A refinement and improvement to Conley-Zehnder's index theo…
The algebra of polynomials in operators that represent generalized coordinate and momentum and depend on the Planck constant is defined. The Planck constant is treated as the parameter taking values between zero and some nonvanishing $h_0$. For the second of these two extreme values, introduced operatorial algebra becomes equivalent to the algebra of observables of quantum mechanical system defined in the standard manner by operators in the Hilbert space. For the vanishing Planck constant, the generalized algebra gives the operator formulation of classical mechanics since it is equivalent to t…
We give a path integral formulation of the time evolution of qudits of odd dimension. This allows us to consider semiclassical evolution of discrete systems in terms of an expansion of the propagator in powers of $\hbar$. The largest power of $\hbar$ required to describe the evolution is a traditional measure of classicality. We show that the action of the Clifford operators on stabilizer states can be fully described by a single contribution of a path integral truncated at order $\hbar^0$ and so are "classical," just like propagation of Gaussians under harmonic Hamiltonians in the continuous …
The old cosmological-constant (CC) problem indicates an inconsistency of the usual formulation of semiclassical gravity. The usual formulation of semiclassical gravity also seems to be inconsistent with the conventional interpretation of quantum mechanics based on the discontinuous wave-function collapse. By reformulating semiclassical gravity in terms of Bohmian deterministic particle trajectories, the resulting semiclassical theory avoids both the old CC problem and the discontinuous collapse problem of the usual semiclassical theory. The relevance to the new CC problem and to particle creat…
We analyze the dynamical generation of entanglement in systems of two interacting spins initially prepared in a product of spin coherent states. For arbitrary time-independent Hamiltonians, we derive a semiclassical expression for the purity of the reduced density matrix as function of time. The final formula, subsidiary to the linear entropy, shows that the short-time dynamics of entanglement depends exclusively on the stability of trajectories governed by the underlying classical Hamiltonian. Also, this semiclassical measure is shown to reproduce the general properties of its quantum counter…
In this article we extend previous semiclassical studies by including more general perturbative potentials of the harmonic oscillator in arbitrary spatial dimensions. Our starting point is a radial harmonic potential with an arbitrary even monomial perturbation, which we use to study the resulting $\mathrm{U}(D)$ to $\mathrm{O}(D)$ symmetry breaking. We derive the gross structure of the semiclassical spectrum from periodic orbit theory, in the form of a perturbative ($\hbar \rightarrow 0$) trace formula. We then show how to apply the results to even order polynomial potentials, possibly includ…
We provide an introduction to deformation quantisation and discuss the application of the formalism in solving the evolution problem for many-body systems in terms of semiclassical expansion. In any fixed order of expansion over the Planck's constant, the evolution problem can be reduced to a statistical-mechanics problem of calculating an ensemble of quantum characteristics in the phase space and their Jacobi fields. In comparison with the corresponding rules of classical statistical mechanics, the rules for computing the probabilities and time-dependent averages of observables are modified. …
The semiclassical formula for the quantum propagator in the coherent state representation $<\mathbf{z}'' | e^{-i\hat{H}T/\hbar} | \mathbf{z}'>$ is not free from the problem of caustics. These are singular points along the complex classical trajectories specified by $\mathbf{z}'$, $\mathbf{z}''$ and $T$ where the usual quadratic approximation fails, leading to divergences in the semiclassical formula. In this paper we derive third order approximations for this propagator that remain finite in the vicinity of caustics. We use Maslov's method and the dual representation proposed in Phys. Rev. Let…
This paper concerns an approximation of the expectation values of the position and momentum of the solution to the semiclassical Schrödinger equation with a Gaussian as the initial condition. Of particular interest is the approximation obtained by our symplectic/Hamiltonian formulation of the Gaussian wave packet dynamics that introduces a correction term to the conventional formulation using the classical Hamiltonian system by Hagedorn and others. The main result is a proof that our formulation gives a higher-order approximation than the classical formulation does to the expectation value dyn…
The mathematical apparatus of quantum--mechanical angular momentum (re)coupling, developed originally to describe spectroscopic phenomena in atomic, molecular, optical and nuclear physics, is embedded in modern algebraic settings which emphasize the underlying combinational aspects. SU(2) recoupling theory, involving Wigner's 3nj symbols, as well as the related problems of their calculations, general properties, asymptotic limits for large entries, play nowadays a prominent role also in quantum gravity and quantum computing applications. We refer to the ingredients of this theory -and of its e…
The spectrum of eigenenergies of a quantum integrable system whose hamiltonian depends on a single parameter shows degeneracies (crossings) when the parameter varies. We derive a semiclassical expression for the density of crossings in the plane energy-parameter, that is the number of crossings per unit of energy and unit of parameter, in terms of classical periodic orbits. We compare the results of the semiclassical formula with exact quantum calculations for two specific quantum integrable billiards.
We study the quantum tunnel effect through a potential barrier employing a semiclassical formulation of quantum mechanics based on expectation values of configuration variables and quantum dispersions as dynamical variables. The evolution of the system is given in terms of a dynamical system for which we are able to determine effective trajectories for individual particles, in a total resemblance of the Bohmian description of quantum mechanics. We obtain a type of semiclassical confinement for particles in a similar way as with the quantum potential, and also determine a semiclassical transmis…
The semiclassical mechanics of the Wigner 6j-symbol is examined from the standpoint of WKB theory for multidimensional, integrable systems, to explore the geometrical issues surrounding the Ponzano-Regge formula. The relations among the methods of Roberts and others for deriving the Ponzano-Regge formula are discussed, and a new approach, based on the recoupling of four angular momenta, is presented. A generalization of the Yutsis-type of spin network is developed for this purpose. Special attention is devoted to symplectic reduction, the reduced phase space of the 6j-symbol (the 2-sphere of K…
Quantum mechanics has been formulated in phase space, with the Wigner function as the representative of the quantum density operator, and classical mechanics has been formulated in Hilbert space, with the Groenewold operator as the representative of the classical Liouville density function. Semiclassical approximations to the quantum evolution of the Wigner function have been defined, enabling the quantum evolution to be approached from a classical starting point. Now analogous semiquantum approximations to the classical evolution of the Groenewold operator are defined, enabling the classical …
Recoupling coefficients (3nj symbols) are unitary transformations between binary coupled eigenstates of N=(n+1) mutually commuting SU(2) angular momentum operators. They have been used in a variety of applications in spectroscopy, quantum chemistry and nuclear physics and quite recently also in quantum gravity and quantum computing. These coefficients, naturally associated to cubic Yutsis graphs, share a number of intriguing combinatorial, algebraic, and analytical features that make them fashinating objects to be studied on their own. In this paper we develop a bottom--up, systematic procedur…
We analyze the asymptotics of the Wigner $3j$-symbol as a matrix element connecting eigenfunctions of a pair of integrable systems, obtained by lifting the problem of the addition of angular momenta into the space of Schwinger's oscillators. A novel element is the appearance of compact Lagrangian manifolds that are not tori, due to the fact that the observables defining the quantum states are noncommuting. These manifolds can be quantized by generalized Bohr-Sommerfeld rules and yield all the correct quantum numbers. The geometry of the classical angular momentum vectors emerges in a clear man…
The motion of neutral particles with magnetic moments in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is described in a semi-classical framework. The concept of Coherent Internal States is used in the formulation of the semiclassical approximation from the full quantum mechanical expression. The classical trajectories are defined only for certain spin state, that satusfy the conditions for being Coherent Internal State. The raalibility of Stern-Gerlach experiments to measure spin projectons is assessed in this framework.
We derive an asymptotic formula for the Wigner $12j$ symbol, in the limit of one small and 11 large angular momenta. There are two kinds of asymptotic formulas for the $12j$ symbol with one small angular momentum. We present the first kind of formula in this paper. Our derivation relies on the techniques developed in the semiclassical analysis of the Wigner $9j$ symbol [L. Yu and R. G. Littlejohn, Phys. Rev. A 83, 052114 (2011)], where we used a gauge-invariant form of the multicomponent WKB wave-functions to derive asymptotic formulas for the $9j$ symbol with small and large angular momenta. …
Starting with general semiclassical equations of motion for electrons in the presence of electric and magnetic fields, we extend the Chambers formula to include in addition to a magnetic field, time-dependent electric fields and bands with Berry curvature. We thereby compute the conductivity tensor $σ_{αβ}(B,ω)$ in the presence of magnetic field for bands in two (2D) and three (3D) dimensions with Berry curvature. We focus then on several applications to magnetotransport for metals with Fermi surface topological transitions in 2D. In particular, we consider a rectangular lattice and a model re…
Nambu mechanics is a generalized Hamiltonian dynamics characterized by an extended phase space and multiple Hamiltonians. In a previous paper [Prog. Theor. Exp. Phys. 2013, 073A01 (2013)] we revealed that the Nambu mechanical structure is hidden in Hamiltonian dynamics, that is, the classical time evolution of variables including redundant degrees of freedom can be formulated as Nambu mechanics. In the present paper we show that the Nambu mechanical structure is also hidden in some quantum or semiclassical dynamics, that is, in some cases the quantum or semiclassical time evolution of expectat…
Shor's algorithms for factorization and discrete logarithms on a quantum computer employ Fourier transforms preceding a final measurement. It is shown that such a Fourier transform can be carried out in a semi-classical way in which a ``classical'' (macroscopic) signal resulting from the measurement of one bit (embodied in a two-state quantum system) is employed to determine the type of measurement carried out on the next bit, and so forth. In this way the two-bit gates in the Fourier transform can all be replaced by a smaller number of one-bit gates controlled by classical signals. Success in…
A general semiclassical approach to quantum systems with system-bath interactions is developed. We study system decoherence in detail using a coherent state semiclassical wavepacket method which avoids singularity issues arising in the usual Green's function approach. We discuss the general conditions under which it is approximately correct to discuss quantum decoherence in terms of a ``dephasing'' picture and we derive semiclassical expressions for the phase and phase distribution. Remarkably, an effective system wavefunction emerges whose norm measures the decoherence and is equivalent to a …
We present a semiclassical quantization condition, i.e., quantum-classical correspondence, for steady states of nonadiabatic systems consisting of fast and slow degrees of freedom (DOFs) by extending Gutzwiller's trace formula to a nonadiabatic form. The quantum-classical correspondence indicates that a set of primitive hopping periodic orbits, which are invariant under time evolution in the phase space of the slow DOF, should be quantized. The semiclassical quantization is then applied to a simple nonadiabatic model and accurately reproduces exact quantum energy levels. In addition to the sem…
We consider a spherical symmetric black hole in the Schwarzschild metric and apply Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization to determine the energy levels. The canonical partition function is then computed and we show that the entropy coincides with the Bekenstein-Hawking formula when the maximal number of states for the black hole is the same as computed in loop quantum gravity, proving in this case the existence of a semiclassical limit and obtaining an independent derivation of the Barbero-Immirzi parameter.
