The Heisenberg inequality ΔX ΔP \geq \hbar/2 can be replaced by an exact equality, for suitably chosen measures of position and momentum uncertainty, which is valid for all wavefunctions. The statistics of complementary observables are thus connected by an ``exact'' uncertainty relation.
It brings into attention briefly the genuine significance of uncertainty relations and of their extrapolations for which conventional(usual) doctrine promotes unjustified ideas.
An exact uncertainty principle, formulated as the assumption that a classical ensemble is subject to random momentum fluctuations of a strength which is determined by and scales inversely with uncertainty in position, leads from the classical equations of motion to the Schrodinger equation. Thus there is an exact formulation of the uncertainty principle which precisely captures the essence of what is "quantum" about quantum mechanics.
The Heisenberg inequality ΔX ΔP \geq \hbar/2 can be replaced by an exact equality, for suitably chosen measures of position and momentum uncertainty, which is valid for all wavefunctions. The significance of this "exact" uncertainty relation is discussed, and results are generalised to angular momentum and phase, photon number and phase, time and frequency, and to states described by density operators. Connections to optimal estimation of an observable from the measurement of a second observable, Wigner functions, energy bounds, and entanglement are also given.
In spite \smallskip of their popularity the \QTR{bf}{H}eisenberg's (``uncertainty'') \QTR{bf}{R}elations (HR) still generate controversies. The \QTR{bf}{T}raditional \QTR{bf}{I}nterpretation of HR (TIHR) dominate our days science, although over the years a lot of its defects were signaled. These facts justify a reinvestigation of the questions connected with the interpretation / significance of HR. Here it is developped such a reinvestigation starting with a revaluation of the main elements of TIHR. So one finds that all the respective elements are troubled by insurmountable defects. Then it r…
Inspired by the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP), which adds gravitational effects to the standard description of quantum uncertainty, we extend the exact uncertainty principle (EUP) approach by Hall and Reginatto [J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. (2002) 35 3289], and obtain a (quasi)nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This quantum evolution equation of unusual form, enjoys several desired properties like separation of non-interacting subsystems or planewave solutions for free particles. Starting with the harmonic oscillator example, we show that every solution of this equation respects the gravitati…
We give a short review of known exact inequalities that can be interpreted as "energy-time" and "frequency-time" uncertainty relations. In particular we discuss a precise form of signals minimizing the physical frequency-time uncertainty product. Also, we calculate the "stationarity time" for mixed Gaussian states of a quantum harmonic oscillator, showing explicitly that pure quantum states are "more fragile" than mixed ones with the same value of the energy dispersion. The problems of quantum evolution speed limits, time operators and measurements of energy and time are briefly discussed, too…
Aharonov's weak value, which is a physical quantity obtainable by weak measurement, admits amplification and hence is deemed to be useful for precision measurement. We examine the significance of the amplification based on the uncertainty of measurement, and show that the trade-offs among the three (systematic, statistical and nonlinear) components of the uncertainty inherent in the weak measurement will set an upper limit on the usable amplification. Apart from the Gaussian state models employed for demonstration, our argument is completely general; it is free from approximation and valid for…
Quantum uncertainty relations have deep-rooted significance on the formalism of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg's uncertainty relations attracted a renewed interest for its applications in quantum information science. Robertson derived a general form of Heisenberg's uncertainty relations for a pair of arbitrary observables represented by Hermitian operators. In the present work, we discover a temporal version of the Heisenberg-Robertson uncertainty relations for the measurement of two observables at two different times, where the dynamical uncertainties crucially depend on the time evolution of …
The dynamics of entanglement and uncertainty relation is explored by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for coupled harmonic oscillator system analytically when the angular frequencies and coupling constant are arbitrarily time-dependent. We derive the spectral and Schmidt decompositions for vacuum solution. Using the decompositions we derive the analytical expressions for von Neumann and Rényi entropies. Making use of Wigner distribution function defined in phase space, we derive the time-dependence of position-momentum uncertainty relations. In order to show the dynamics of enta…
Nonlocality, which is the key feature of quantum theory, has been linked with the uncertainty principle by fine-grained uncertainty relations, by considering combinations of outcomes for different measurements. However, this approach assumes that information about the system to be fine-grained is local, and does not present an explicitly computable bound. Here, we generalize above approach to general quasi-fine-grained uncertainty relations (QFGURs) which applies in the presence of quantum memory and provides conspicuously computable bounds to quantitatively link the uncertainty to entanglemen…
We prove an uncertainty relation for energy and arrival time, where the arrival of a particle at a detector is modeled by an absorbing term added to the Hamiltonian. In this well-known scheme the probability for the particle's arrival at the counter is identified with the loss of normalization for an initial wave packet. Under the sole assumption that the absorbing term vanishes on the initial wave function, we show that $ΔT ΔE \geq \sqrt p \hbar/2$ and $<T> ΔE\geq 1.37\sqrt p\hbar$, where $<T>e$ denotes the mean arrival time, and $p$ is the probability for the particle to be eventually absorb…
It is generally accepted that the disturbance interpretation cannot explain Heisenberg's uncertainty relation DxDp=h. In this paper a clear distinction will be made between the notions of state preparation and measurement, noting that the disturbance that is referred to in Heisenberg's disturbance interpretation is usually caused by the measurement. The main goal of this paper is to examine and discuss to what extent disturbance during the state preparation plays a role in the interpretation of Heisenberg's uncertainty relation. This examination will be done in the context of a single-slit exp…
Apart from their foundational significance, entropic uncertainty relations play a central role in proving the security of quantum cryptographic protocols. Of particular interest are thereby relations in terms of the smooth min-entropy for BB84 and six-state encodings. Previously, strong uncertainty relations were obtained which are valid in the limit of large block lengths. Here, we prove a new uncertainty relation in terms of the smooth min-entropy that is only marginally less strong, but has the crucial property that it can be applied to rather small block lengths. This paves the way for a p…
Learning physical properties of a quantum system is essential for the developments of quantum technologies. However, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle constrains the potential knowledge one can simultaneously have about a system in quantum theory. Aside from its fundamental significance, the mathematical characterization of this restriction, known as `uncertainty relation', plays important roles in a wide range of applications, stimulating the formation of tighter uncertainty relations. In this work, we investigate the fundamental limitations of variance-based uncertainty relations, and intro…
Uncertainty relations state that there exist certain incompatible measurements, to which the outcomes cannot be simultaneously predicted. While the exact incompatibility of quantum measurements dictated by such uncertainty relations can be inferred from the mathematical formalism of quantum theory, the question remains whether there is any more fundamental reason for the uncertainty relations to have this exact form. What, if any, would be the operational consequences if we were able to go beyond any of these uncertainty relations? We give a strong argument that justifies uncertainty relations…
Uncertainty relations involving complementary observables are one of the cornerstones of quantum mechanics. Aside from their fundamental significance, they play an important role in practical applications, such as detection of quantum correlations and security requirements in quantum cryptography. In continuous variable systems, the spectra of the relevant observables form a continnuum and this necessitates the coarse graining of measurements. However, these coarse-grained observables do not necessarily obey the same uncertainty relations as the original ones, a fact that can lead to false res…
Uncertainty relations describe the lower bound of product of standard deviations of observables. By revealing a connection between standard deviations of quantum observables and numerical radius of operators, we establish a universal uncertainty relation for any $k$ observables, of which the formulation depends on the even or odd quality of $k$. This universal uncertainty relation is tight at least for the cases $k=2n$ and $k=3$. For two observables, the uncertainty relation is exactly a simpler reformulation of Schrödinger's uncertainty principle.
(A) The momentum density conjugate to a bosonic quantum field splits naturally into the sum of a classical component and a nonclassical component. It is shown that the field and the nonclassical component of the momentum density satisfy an_exact_ uncertainty relation, i.e., an equality, which underlies the Heisenberg-type uncertainty relation for fields. (B) The above motivates a new approach to deriving and interpreting bosonic quantum fields, based on an exact uncertainty principle. In particular, the postulate that an ensemble of classical fields is subject to nonclassical momentum fluctuat…
The usual Heisenberg uncertainty relation for position and momentum may be replaced by an exact equality, for suitably chosen measures of position and momentum uncertainty. This "exact" uncertainty relation is valid for_all_ pure states, and is sufficiently strong to provide an axiomatic basis for moving from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. In particular, the assumption of a nonclassical momentum fluctuation, having a strength which scales inversely with uncertainty in position, leads from the classical equations of motion to the Schroedinger equation.
A conceptually simpler proof of the separability criterion for two-qubit systems, which is referred to as "Hefei inequality" in literature, is presented. This inequality gives a necessary and sufficient separability criterion for any mixed two-qubit system unlike the Bell-CHSH inequality that cannot test the mixed-states such as the Werner state when regarded as a separability criterion. The original derivation of this inequality emphasized the uncertainty relation of complementary observables, but we show that the uncertainty relation does not play any role in the actual derivation and the Pe…
The assumption that an ensemble of classical particles is subject to nonclassical momentum fluctuations, with the fluctuation uncertainty fully determined by the position uncertainty, has been shown to lead from the classical equations of motion to the Schroedinger equation. This 'exact uncertainty' approach may be generalised to ensembles of gravitational fields, where nonclassical fluctuations are added to the field momentum densities, of a magnitude determined by the uncertainty in the metric tensor components. In this way one obtains the Wheeler-DeWitt equation of quantum gravity, with the…
We derive exact relations and general inequalities that extend the usual time-energy uncertainty relations from the domain of unitary Hamiltonian dynamics to that of dissipative dynamics as described by a broad class of linear and nonlinear evolution equations for the density operator. For non-dissipative dynamics, by using the Schroedinger inequality instead of the Heisenberg-Robertson inequality, we obtain a general exact time-energy uncertainty relation which is sharper than the usual Mandelstam-Tamm-Messiah relation $τ_FΔ_H\ge \hbar/2$. For simultaneous unitary/dissipative dynamics, the us…
We present the exact solution of the three-dimensional Duffin--Kemmer--Petiau oscillator for both spin 0 and spin 1 cases, with the presence of minimal uncertainty in momentum in anti--de Sitter model. We use the representation of vector spherical harmonics and the Nikiforov--Uvarov method to determine exactly the energy eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions in all cases. Our study of the energy spectrum allows us to define a new interpretation of natural and unnatural parity states of the vector particle and we show the crucial role played by the spin--orbit coupling in this differentiation betw…
A Hamiltonian formalism is used to describe ensembles of fields in terms of two canonically conjugate functionals (one being the field probability density). The postulate that a classical ensemble is subject to nonclassical fluctuations of the field momentum density, of a strength determined solely by the field uncertainty, is shown to lead to a unique modification of the ensemble Hamiltonian. The modified equations of motion are equivalent to the quantum equations for a bosonic field, and thus this exact uncertainty principle provides a new approach to deriving and interpreting the properties…
The optimal state-independent lower bounds for the sum of variances or deviations of observables are of significance for the growing number of experiments that reach the uncertainty limited regime. We present a framework for computing the tight uncertainty relations of variance or deviation via determining the uncertainty regions, which are formed by the tuples of two or more of quantum observables in random quantum states induced from the uniform Haar measure on the purified states. From the analytical formulae of these uncertainty regions, we present state-independent uncertainty inequalitie…
We determine the energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator where the coordinates and momenta are assumed to obey the modified commutation relations [x_i,p_j]=i hbar[(1+ beta p^2) delta_{ij} + beta' p_i p_j]. These commutation relations are motivated by the fact they lead to the minimal length uncertainty relations which appear in perturbative string theory. Our solutions illustrate how certain features of string theory may manifest themselves in simple quantum mechanical systems through the modification of the canonical commutation relations. We discuss whether such effe…
How violently do two quantum operators disagree? Different fields of physics feature different measures of incompatibility: (i) In quantum information theory, entropic uncertainty relations constrain measurement outcomes. (ii) In condensed matter and high-energy physics, the out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) signals scrambling, the spread of information through many-body entanglement. We unite these measures, proving entropic uncertainty relations for scrambling. The entropies are of distributions over weak and strong measurements' possible outcomes. The weak measurements ensure that the O…
We present exact energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the one-dimensional hydrogen atom in the framework of the Generalized (Gravitational) Uncertainty Principle (GUP). This form of GUP is consistent with various theories of quantum gravity such as string theory, loop quantum gravity, black-hole physics, and doubly special relativity and implies a minimal length uncertainty and a maximal momentum. We show that the quantized energy spectrum exactly agrees with the semiclassical results.
Several models of quantum gravity predict the emergence of a minimal length at Planck scale. This is commonly taken into consideration by modifying the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle into the Generalized Uncertainty Principle. In this work, we study the implications of a polynomial Generalized Uncertainty Principle on the harmonic oscillator. We revisit both the analytic and algebraic methods, deriving the exact form of the generalized Heisenberg algebra in terms of the new position and momentum operators. We show that the energy spectrum and eigenfunctions are affected in a non-trivial way.…
We present exact energy spectrum and eigenfunctions of the one-dimensional hydrogen atom in the presence of the minimal length uncertainty. By requiring the self-adjointness property of the Hamiltonian, we completely determine the quantization condition. We indicate that the single-valuedness criteria of the eigenfunctions in non-deformed case is an emergent condition and the semiclassical solutions exactly coincide with the quantum mechanical results. The behavior of the wave functions at the origin in coordinate space and in quasiposition space is discussed finally.
This paper identifies a new class of shape invariant models. These models are based on extensions of conventional quantum mechanics that satisfy a string-motivated minimal length uncertainty relation. An important feature of our construction is the pairing of operators that are not adjoints of each other. The results in this paper thus show the broader applicability of shape invariance to exactly solvable systems.
In this paper it is shown that exact decoherence to minimal uncertainty Gaussian pointer states is generic for free quantum particles coupled to a heat bath. More specifically, the paper is concerned with damped free particles linearly coupled under product initial conditions to a heat bath at arbitrary temperature, with arbitrary coupling strength and spectral densities covering the Ohmic, subohmic, and supraohmic regime. Then it is true that there exists a time t_c such that for times t>t_c the state can always be exactly represented as a mixture (convex combination) of particular minimal un…