A new uniform asymptotic approximation for the Wigner $6j$ symbol is given in terms of Wigner rotation matrices ($d$-matrices). The approximation is uniform in the sense that it applies for all values of the quantum numbers, even those near caustics. The derivation of the new approximation is not given, but the geometrical ideas supporting it are discussed and numerical tests are presented, including comparisons with the exact $6j$-symbol and with the Ponzano-Regge approximation.
We propose a new approximate series solution of the semiclassical Wigner equation by uniformization of WKB approximations of the Schrödinger eigenfunctions.
We establish the difference between the propagation of semiclassical Wigner functions and classical Liouville propagation. First we re-discuss the semiclassical limit for the propagator of Wigner functions, which on its own leads to their classical propagation. Then, via stationary phase evaluation of the full integral evolution equation, using the semiclassical expressions of Wigner functions, we provide the correct geometrical prescription for their semiclassical propagation. This is determined by the classical trajectories of the tips of the chords defined by the initial semiclassical Wigne…
We present a perturbation analysis of the semiclassical Wigner equation which is based on the interplay between configuration and phase spaces via Wigner transform. We employ the so-called harmonic approximation of the Schrodinger eigenfunctions for single-well potentials in configuration space, to construct an asymptotic expansion of the solution of the Wigner equation. This expansion is a perturbation of the Wigner function of a harmonic oscillator but it is not a genuine semiclassical expansion because the correctors depend on the semiclassical parameter. However, it suggests the selection…
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…
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. …
The time evolution of the Wigner function for Gaussian states generated by Lindblad quantum dynamics is investigated in the semiclassical limit. A new type of phase-space dynamics is obtained for the centre of a Gaussian Wigner function, where the Lindblad terms generally introduce a non-Hamiltonian flow. In addition to this, the Gaussian approximation yields dynamical equations for the covariances. The approximation becomes exact for linear Lindblad operators and a quadratic Hamiltonian. By viewing the Wigner function as a wave function on a coordinate space of doubled dimension, and the phas…
We consider solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a potential localised at the points of a Poisson process. We prove convergence of the phase-space distribution in the annealed Boltzmann-Grad limit to a semiclassical Wigner (or defect) measure and show that it is a solution of the linear Boltzmann equation. Our results hold for a large class of square-integrable initial data associated to Wigner measures, including Langragian states, WKB states and coherent states. This extends important previous work by Eng and Erdős.
There are two types of asymptotic formulas for the $12j$ symbol with one small and 11 large angular momenta. We have derived the first type of formula previously in [L. Yu, Phys. Rev. A84 022101 (2011)]. We will derive the second type in this paper. We find that this second asymptotic formula for the $12j$ symbol is expressed in terms of the vector diagram associated with two $6j$ symbols, namely, the vector diagram of two adjacent tetrahedra sharing a common face. As a result, two sets of Ponzano-Regge phases appear in the asymptotic formula. This work contributes another asymptotic formula o…
In this paper we give an overview over some aspects of the modern mathematical theory of Ruelle resonances for chaotic, i.e. uniformly hyperbolic, dynamical systems and their implications in physics. First we recall recent developments in the mathematical theory of resonances, in particular how invariant Ruelle distributions arise as residues of weighted zeta functions. Then we derive a correspondence between weighted and semiclassical zeta functions in the setting of negatively curved surfaces. Combining this with results of Hilgert, Guillarmou and Weich yields a high frequency interpretation…
The Weyl-Wigner-Moyal formalism is developed for spin by means of a correspondence between spherical harmonics and spherical harmonic tensor operators. The analogue of the Moyal expansion is developed for the Weyl symbol of the product of two operators in terms of the symbols for the individual operators, and it is shown that in the classical limit, the Weyl symbol for a commutator equals $i$ times the Poisson bracket of the corresponding Weyl symbols. It is also found that, to the same order, there is no correction in the symbol for the anticommutator.
We consider the Wigner equation corresponding to a nonlinear Schroedinger evolution of the Hartree type in the semiclassical limit $\hbar\to 0$. Under appropriate assumptions on the initial data and the interaction potential, we show that the Wigner function is close in $L^2$ to its weak limit, the solution of the corresponding Vlasov equation. The strong approximation allows the construction of semiclassical operator-valued observables, approximating their quantum counterparts in Hilbert-Schmidt topology. The proof makes use of a pointwise-positivity manipulation, which seems necessary in wor…
Yu and Littlejohn recently studied in arXiv:1104.1499 some asymptotics of Wigner symbols with some small and large angular momenta. They found that in this regime the essential information is captured by the geometry of a tetrahedron, and gave new formulae for 9j, 12j and 15j-symbols. We present here an alternative derivation which leads to a simpler formula, based on the use of the Ponzano-Regge formula for the relevant tetrahedron. The approach is generalized to Wigner 3nj-symbols with some large and small angular momenta, where more than one tetrahedron is needed, leading to new asymptotics…
The 3-regular graphs representing sums over products of Wigner 3-jm symbols are drawn on up to 12 vertices (complete to 18j-symbols), and the irreducible graphs on up to 14 vertices (complete to 21j-symbols). The Lederer-Coxeter-Frucht notations of the Hamiltonian cycles in these graphs are tabulated to support search operations.
We derive a new asymptotic formula for the Wigner $9j$-symbol, in the limit of one small and eight large angular momenta, using a novel gauge-invariant factorization for the asymptotic solution of a set of coupled wave equations. Our factorization eliminates the geometric phases completely, using gauge-invariant non-canonical coordinates, parallel transports of spinors, and quantum rotation matrices. Our derivation generalizes to higher $3nj$-symbols. We display without proof some new asymptotic formulas for the $12j$-symbol and the $15j$-symbol in the appendices. This work contributes a new a…
We present new asymptotic formulas for the Wigner $15j$-symbol with two, three, or four small quantum numbers, and provide numerical evidence of their validity. These formulas are of the WKB form and are of a similar nature as the Ponzano-Regge formula for the Wigner $6j$-symbol. They are expressed in terms of edge lengths and angles of geometrical figures associated with angular momentum vectors. In particular, the formulas for the $15j$-symbol with two, three, and four small quantum numbers are based on the geometric figures of the $9j$-, $6j$-, and $3j$-symbols, respectively, The geometric …
It is shown that the semiclassical coherent state propagator takes its simplest form when the quantum mechanical Hamiltonian is replaced by its Weyl symbol in defining the classical action, in that there is then no need of a Solari-Kochetov correction. It is also shown that such a correction exists if a symbol other than the Weyl symbol is chosen, and that its form is different depending on the symbol chosen. The various forms of the propagator based on different symbols are shown to be equivalent provided the correspondingly correct Solari-Kochetov correction is included. All these results ar…
The use of orthogonal polynomials for integral models on the lattice is applied to the 3nj-symbols that appear in the coupling of several angular momenta. These symbols are connected to the Ponzano-Regge method to solve the Einstein equations on a discrete Riemannian manifold.
Wigner and Husimi transforms have long been used for the phase-space reformulation of Schrödinger-type equations, and the study of the corresponding semiclassical limits. Most of the existing results provide approximations in appropriate weak topologies. In this work we are concerned with semiclassical limits in the strong topology, i.e. approximation of Wigner functions by solutions of the Liouville equation in $L^2$ and Sobolev norms. The results obtained improve the state of the art, and highlight the role of potential regularity, especially through the regularity of the Wigner equation. It…
We derive the leading asymptotic limit of the Wigner $3j$-symbol from a stationary phase approximation of a twelve dimensional integral, obtained from an inner product between two exact Bargmann wavefunctions. We show that, by the construction of the Bargmann inner product, the stationary phase conditions have a geometric description in terms of the Hopf fibration of ${\mathbb C}^6$ into ${\mathbb R}^3 \times {\mathbb R}^3 \times {\mathbb R}^3$. In addition, we find that, except for the usual modification of the quantum numbers by 1/2, the imaginary part of the logarithm of a Bargmann wavefunc…
The Weyl quantization of classical observables on the torus (as phase space) without regularity assumptions is explicitly computed. The equivalence class of symbols yielding the same Weyl operator is characterized. The Heisenberg equation for the dynamics of general quantum observables is written through the Moyal brackets on the torus and the support of the Wigner transform is characterized. Finally, a dequantization procedure is introduced that applies, for instance, to the Pauli matrices. As a result we obtain the corresponding classical symbols.
In this paper we employ a novel technique combining the Euler Maclaurin formula with the saddle point approximation method to obtain the asymptotic behavior (in the limit of large representation index $J$) of generic Wigner matrix elements $D^{J}_{MM'}(g)$. We use this result to derive asymptotic formulae for the character $χ^J(g)$ of an SU(2) group element and for Wigner's $3j$ symbol. Surprisingly, given that we perform five successive layers of approximations, the asymptotic formula we obtain for $χ^J(g)$ is in fact exact. This result provides a non trivial example of a Duistermaat-Heckman …
The Wigner $3j$ symbols of the quantum angular momentum theory are related to the vector coupling or Clebsch-Gordan coefficients and to the Hahn and dual Hahn polynomials of the discrete orthogonal hyperspherical family, of use in discretization approximations. We point out the important role of the Regge symmetries for defining the screen where images of the coefficients are projected, and for discussing their asymptotic properties and semiclassical behavior. Recursion relationships are formulated as eigenvalue equations, and exploited both for computational purposes and for physical interpre…
We present new sum rules for $3jm$ coefficients, which involve, in addition to the usual weighting factor $(2j + 1)$ where $j$ is an angular momentum, the quantity $[j(j + 1)]^k$ with $k \ge 1$. The sum rules appear for instance in the statistical modeling of rotational spectra within the theory of moments, and enable one to deduce the expectation values of $r^k$ (used in the theory of Stark effect for hydrogenic ions) in parabolic coordinates from the expectation values of $r^k$ in spherical coordinates.
A semiclassical approximation for an evolving density operator, driven by a "closed" hamiltonian operator and "open" markovian Lindblad operators, is obtained. The theory is based on the chord function, i.e. the Fourier transform of the Wigner function. It reduces to an exact solution of the Lindblad master equation if the hamiltonian operator is a quadratic function and the Lindblad operators are linear functions of positions and momenta. Initially, the semiclassical formulae for the case of hermitian Lindblad operators are reinterpreted in terms of a (real) double phase space, generated by a…
We relate quantum 6J symbols of various types (quantum versions of Wigner and Racah symbols) to Ocneanu cells associated with AN Dynkin diagrams. We check explicitly the algebraic structure of the associated quantum groupoids and analyze several examples (A3, A4). Some features relative to cells associated with more general ADE diagrams are also discussed.
This article presents and discusses in detail the results of extensive exact calculations of the most basic ingredients of spin networks, the Racah coefficients (or Wigner 6j symbols), exhibiting their salient features when considered as a function of two variables - a natural choice due to their origin as elements of a square orthogonal matrix - and illustrated by use of a projection on a square "screen" introduced recently. On these screens, shown are images which provide a systematic classification of features previously introduced to represent the caustic and ridge curves (which delimit th…
In this paper we study the semiclassical behavior of quantum states acting on the C*-algebra of canonical commutation relations, from a general perspective. The aim is to provide a unified and flexible approach to the semiclassical analysis of bosonic systems. We also give a detailed overview of possible applications of this approach to mathematical problems of both axiomatic relativistic quantum field theories and nonrelativistic many body systems. If the theory has infinitely many degrees of freedom, the set of Wigner measures, i.e. the classical counterpart of the set of quantum states, coi…
We show how to relate the full quantum dynamics of a spin-1/2 particle on R^d to a classical Hamiltonian dynamics on the enlarged phase space R^d x S^2 up to errors of second order in the semiclassical parameter. This is done via an Egorov-type theorem for normal Wigner-Weyl calculus for R^d [Lei10,Fol89] combined with the Stratonovich-Weyl calculus for SU(2) [VGB89]. For a specific class of Hamiltonians, including the Rabi- and Jaynes-Cummings model, we prove an Egorov theorem for times much longer than the semiclassical time scale. We illustrate the approach for a simple model of the Stern-G…
We consider the semiclassical limit of quantum systems with a Hamiltonian given by the Weyl quantization of an operator valued symbol. Systems composed of slow and fast degrees of freedom are of this form. Typically a small dimensionless parameter $\varepsilon\ll 1$ controls the separation of time scales and the limit $\varepsilon\to 0$ corresponds to an adiabatic limit, in which the slow and fast degrees of freedom decouple. At the same time $\varepsilon\to 0$ is the semiclassical limit for the slow degrees of freedom. In this paper we show that the $\varepsilon$-dependent classical flow for …
We define classes of quantum states associated to isotropic submanifolds of cotangent bundles. The classes are stable under the action of semiclassical pseudo-differential operators and covariant under the action of semiclassical Fourier integral operators. We develop a semiclassical symbol calculus for them; the symbols are symplectic spinors. We outline various applications.
The contribution of Jacques Raynal to angular-momentum theory is highly valuable. In the present article, I intend to recall the main aspects of his work related to Wigner $3j$ symbols. It is well known that the latter can be expressed with a hypergeometric series. The polynomial zeros of the $3j$ coefficients were initially characterized by the number of terms of the series minus one, which is the degree of the coefficient. A detailed study of the zeros of the $3j$ coefficient with respect to the degree $n$ for $J = a + b + c \leq 240$ ($a$, $b$ and $c$ being the angular momenta in the first …
The Wigner time delay, defined by the energy derivative of the total scattering phase shift, is an important spectral measure of an open quantum system characterising the duration of the scattering event. It is related to the trace of the Wigner-Smith matrix Q that also encodes other time-delay characteristics. For chaotic cavities, these exhibit universal fluctuations that are commonly described within random matrix theory. Here, we develop a new semiclassical approach to the time-delay matrix which is formulated in terms of the classical trajectories that connect the exterior and interior re…
We introduce an analog of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map for the Maxwell equation in a bounded domain. We show that it can be approximated by a pseudodifferential operator on the boundary with a matrix-valued symbol and we compute the principal symbol. As a consequence, we obtain a parabolic region free of the transmission eigenvalues associated to the Maxwell equation.
We consider the semiclassical asymptotic behaviour of the number of eigenvalues smaller than $E$ for elliptic operators in $L\sp 2 ({\bf R}\sp d)$. We describe a method of finding remainder estimates related to the volume of the region of the phase space in which the principal symbol takes values belonging to the interval $[E'-h; E'+h]$, where $E'$ is close to $E$. This method allows to derive remainder estimates $O(h\sp {1-d})$ for a class of symbols with critical points and non-smooth coefficients.
In the Heisenberg picture, we study the semiclassical time evolution of a bounded quantum observable $Q^w(x,\hbar D_x)$ associated to a $(m\times m)$ matrix-valued symbol $Q$ generated by a semiclassical matrix-valued Hamiltonian $H\sim H_0+\hbar H_1$. Under a non-crossing assumption on the eigenvalues of the principal symbol $H_0$ that ensures the existence of almost invariant subspaces of $L^{2}(\mathbb R^n)\otimes \mathbb C^m$, and for a class of observables that are semiclassically block-diagonal with respect to the projections onto these almost invariants subspaces, we establish a long ti…
The semiclassical long-time limit of free evolution of quantum wave packets on the torus is under consideration. Despite of simplicity of this system, there are still open questions concerning the detailed description of the evolution on time scales beyond the Ehrenfest time. One of the approaches is based on the limiting Wigner or Husimi distributions of time-evolved wave packets as the Planck constant tends to zero and time tends to infinity. We derive explicit expressions for semiclassical measures corresponding to all time scales and the corresponding stages of evolution: classical-like mo…
The main objective of this paper is understanding the propagation laws obeyed by high-frequency limits of Wigner distributions associated to solutions to the Schroedinger equation on the standard d-dimensional torus T^{d}. From the point of view of semiclassical analysis, our setting corresponds to performing the semiclassical limit at times of order 1/h, as the characteristic wave-length h of the initial data tends to zero. It turns out that, in spite that for fixed h every Wigner distribution satisfies a Liouville equation, their limits are no longer uniquely determined by those of the Wigne…
We examine the affine Wigner distribution from a quantization perspective with an emphasis on the underlying group structure. One of our main results expresses the scalogram as (affine) convolution of affine Wigner distributions. We strive to unite the literature on affine Wigner distributions and we provide the connection to the Mellin transform in a rigorous manner. Moreover, we present an affine ambiguity function and show how this can be used to illuminate properties of the affine Wigner distribution. In contrast with the usual Wigner distribution, we demonstrate that the affine Wigner dis…
Using an abstract notion of semiclassical quantization for self-adjoint operators, we prove that the joint spectrum of a collection of commuting semiclassical self-adjoint operators converges to the classical spectrum given by the joint image of the principal symbols, in the semiclassical limit. This includes Berezin-Toeplitz quantization and certain cases of $\hbar$-pseudodifferential quantization, for instance when the symbols are uniformly bounded, and extends a result by L. Polterovich and the authors. In the last part of the paper we review the recent solution to the inverse problem for q…
We study the SL(2,C) Clebsch-Gordan coefficients appearing in the lorentzian EPRL spin foam amplitudes for loop quantum gravity. We show how the amplitudes decompose into SU(2) nj-symbols at the vertices and integrals over boosts at the edges. The integrals define edge amplitudes that can be evaluated analytically using and adapting results in the literature, leading to a pure state sum model formulation. This procedure introduces virtual representations which, in a manner reminiscent to virtual momenta in Feynman amplitudes, are off-shell of the simplicity constraints present in the theory, b…
