A semiclassical method for the calculation of tunneling exponent in systems with many degrees of freedom is developed. We find that corresponding classical solution as function of energy form several branches joint by bifurcation points. A regularization technique is proposed, which enables one to choose physically relevant branches of solutions everywhere in the classically forbidden region and also in the allowed region. At relatively high energy the physical branch describes tunneling via creation of a classical state, close to the top of the barrier. The method is checked against exact solutions of the Schrodinger equation in a quantum mechanical system of two degrees of freedom.
We present an analytic example of two dimensional quantum mechanical system, where the exponential suppression of the probability of over-barrier reflection changes non-monotonically with energy. The suppression is minimal at certain "optimal" energies where reflection occurs with exponentially larger probability than at other energies.
Quantum mechanical tunneling across smooth double barrier potentials modeled using Gaussian functions, is analyzed numerically and by using the WKB approximation. The transmission probability, resonances as a function of incident particle energy, and their dependence on the barrier parameters are obtained for various cases. We also discuss the tunneling time, for which we obtain generalizations of the known results for rectangular barriers.
Deutsch and Hayden have proposed an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics which is completely local. We argue that their proposal must be understood as having a form of `gauge freedom' according to which mathematically distinct states are physically equivalent. Once this gauge freedom is taken into account, their formulation is no longer local.
A semiclassical method of complex trajectories for the calculation of the tunneling exponent in systems with many degrees of freedom is further developed. It is supplemented with an easily implementable technique, which enables one to single out the physically relevant trajectory from the whole set of complex classical trajectories. The method is applied to semiclassical transitions of a bound system through a potential barrier. We find that the properties of physically relevant complex trajectories are qualitatively different in the cases of potential tunneling at low energy and dynamical tun…
We investigate the resonant states for the parabolic potential barrier known also as inverted or reversed oscillator. They correspond to the poles of meromorphic continuation of the resolvent operator to the complex energy plane. As a byproduct we establish an interesting relation between parabolic cylinder functions (representing energy eigenfunctions of our system) and a class of Gel'fand distributions used in our recent paper.
This paper revisited quantum tunneling dynamics through a square double-barrier potential. We emphasized the similarity of tunneling dynamics through double-barrier and that of optical Fabry--P$\acute{e}$rot (FP) interferometer. Based on this similarity, we showed that the well-known resonant tunneling can also be interpreted as a result of matter multi-wave interference, analogous to that of FP interferometer. From this analogy, we also got an analytical finesse formula of double-barrier. Compared with that obtained numerically for a specific barrier configuration, we found that this formula …
The anti self-adjoint operators of coordinate and momentum are introduced and applied in discussion of tunneling through the potential barrier where imaginary value of momentum unavoidably appears. Tunneling through temporal barrier is proceeded in a similar way and it is shown that the quantum system can tunnel, while the classical systems are destroyed by such barrier. The imaginary observables of coordinate and momentum are used in a novel treatment of passage through the event horizon. By considering the event horizon as the border of the finite potential barrier, it is found that there is…
In this paper, we analyze, by using a matrix approach, the dynamics of a non-relativistic particle in presence of a quaternionic potential barrier. The matrix method used to solve the quaternionic Schrodinger equation allows to obtain a closed formula for the transmission coefficient. Up to now, in quaternionic quantum mechanics, almost every discussion on the dynamics of non-relativistic particle was motived by or evolved from numerical studies. A closed formula for the transmission coefficient stimulates an analysis of qualitative differences between complex and quaternionic quantum mechanic…
Aspects of quantum mechanics on a ring are studied. Either one or two impenetrable barriers are inserted at nodal and non-nodal points to turn the ring into either one or two infinite square wells. In the process, the wave function of a particle can change its energy, as it gets entangled with the barriers and the insertion points become nodes. Two seemingly innocuous assumptions representing locality and linearity are investigated. Namely, a barrier insertion at a fixed node needs no energy, and barrier insertions can be described by linear maps. It will be shown that the two assumptions are …
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…
A method of fundamental solutions has been used to show its effectiveness in solving some well known problems of 1D quantum mechanics (barrier penetrations, over-barrier reflections, resonance states), i.e. those in which we look for exponentially small contributions to semiclassical expansions for considered quantities. Its usefulness for adiabatic transitions in two energy level systems is also mentioned.
Stapp claims that, when spatial degrees of freedom are taken into account, Everett quantum mechanics is ambiguous due to a "core basis problem." To examine an aspect of this claim I generalize the ideal measurement model to include translational degrees of freedom for both the measured system and the measuring apparatus. Analysis of this generalized model using the Everett interpretation in the Heisenberg picture shows that it makes unambiguous predictions for the possible results of measurements and their respective probabilities. The presence of translational degrees of freedom for the measu…
In a previous paper (arXiv:1008.3661v1[quant-ph] 21 Aug 2010), we have given a purely logical proof of the Conway and Kochen Free Will theorem in QM: the freedom of the observer implies the freedom of the observed particle. Here we show that the hypothesis of the observer's freedom is not necessary: the assumption of the (informal) consistency (non contradiction) of QM implies its non-determinism relative to physical events (the freedom of observed particles).
Transversal non-Clifford gates on qLDPC codes breaking the $\sqrt{N}$ distance barrier and quantum-inspired geometry with $\mathbb{Z}_2$ systolic freedom
We adapt the semiclassical technique, as used in the context of instanton transitions in quantum field theory, to the description of tunneling transmissions at finite energies through potential barriers by complex quantum mechanical systems. Even for systems initially in their ground state, not generally describable in semiclassical terms, the transmission probability has a semiclassical (exponential) form. The calculation of the tunneling exponent uses analytic continuation of degrees of freedom into a complex phase space as well as analytic continuation of the classical equations of motion i…
A classical system violating the Bell inequality is discussed. The system is local, deterministic, observers have free will, and detectors are ideal so that no data are lost. The trick is based on two elements. First, a state of one observer is locally influenced by a "particle". Second, random variables used in the experiment are complementary. A relation of this effect to nonlocality is discussed.
For a particle travelling through an interferometer, the trade-off between the available which-way information and the interference visibility provides a lucid manifestation of the quantum mechanical wave-particle duality. Here we analyze this relation for a particle possessing an internal degree of freedom such as spin. We quantify the trade-off with a general inequality that paints an unexpectedly intricate picture of wave-particle duality when internal states are involved. Strikingly, in some instances which-way information becomes erased by introducing classical uncertainty in the internal…
We calculate the time taken by a wave packet to travel through a classically forbidden locally periodic rectangular potential in space fractional quantum mechanics (SFQM). We obtain the close form expression of tunneling time from such a potential by stationary phase method. We show that tunneling time depends upon the width $b$ of the single barrier and separation $L$ between the barriers in the limit $b \to \infty$ and therefore generalized Hartman effect doesn't exist in SFQM. We observe that in SFQM, the tunneling time for large $b$ in the case of locally periodic potential is smaller than…
The $2 \times 2$-matrix structure of Green's functions is a common feature for the real-time formalisms of quantum field theory under thermal situations, such as the closed time path formalism and Thermo Field Dynamics (TFD). It has been believed to originate from quantum nature. Recently, Galley has proposed the Hamilton's principle with initial data for nonconservative classical systems, doubling each degree of freedom [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 174301 (2013)]. We show that the Galley's Hamilton formalism can be extended to quantum field and that the resulting theory is naturally identical with …
The fundamental fact is revealed that in the old good quantum mechanics there is possible such unexpected inversion: potential barriers can drag in wave-particles and wells can push them off.
We consider the Schrödinger equation for a relativistic point particle in an external 1-dimensional $δ$-function potential. Using dimensional regularization, we investigate both bound and scattering states, and we obtain results that are consistent with the abstract mathematical theory of self-adjoint extensions of the pseudo-differential operator $H = \sqrt{p^2 + m^2}$. Interestingly, this relatively simple system is asymptotically free. In the massless limit, it undergoes dimensional transmutation and it possesses an infra-red conformal fixed point. Thus it can be used to illustrate non-triv…
Chaotic eigenstates of quantum systems are known to localize on either side of a classical partial transport barrier if the flux connecting the two sides is quantum mechanically not resolved due to Heisenberg's uncertainty. Surprisingly, in open systems with escape chaotic resonance states can localize even if the flux is quantum mechanically resolved. We explain this using the concept of conditionally invariant measures from classical dynamical systems by introducing a new quantum mechanically relevant class of such fractal measures. We numerically find quantum-to-classical correspondence for…
Semi-classical theories are approximations to quantum theory that treat some degrees of freedom classically and others quantum mechanically. In the usual approach, the quantum degrees of freedom are described by a wave function which evolves according to some Schrödinger equation with a Hamiltonian that depends on the classical degrees of freedom. The classical degrees of freedom satisfy classical equations that depend on the expectation values of quantum operators. In this paper, we study an alternative approach based on Bohmian mechanics. In Bohmian mechanics the quantum system is not only d…
Recalling the similarities between the Maxwell equations for a transverse electric wave in a stratified medium and the quantum mechanical Schroedinger equation in a piece-wise potential, we investigate the analog of the so called particle limit in quantum mechanics. It is shown that in this limit the resonance phenomena are lost since individual reflection and transmission terms no longer overlap. The result is a stationary zebra-like response with the intensity in each stripe calculable.
The classical limit of the Schrodinger equation implies the orthodox statistical interpretation for degrees of freedom in finite-dimensional subspaces of the full Hilbert space, but the argument presented does not imply the Born interpretation for degrees of freedom that have a classical counterpart.
We investigate a quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator based on the extended Snyder model. This realization of the Snyder model is constructed as a quantum phase space generated by $D$ spatial coordinates and $D(D-1)/2$ tensorial degrees of freedom, together with their conjugate momenta. The \coo obey nontrivial \cor and generate a noncommutative geometry, which admits nicer properties than the usual realization of the model, in particular giving rise to an associative star product. The spectrum of the harmonic oscillator is studied through the introduction of creation and annihilation operat…
The WKB approximation plays an essential role in the development of quantum mechanics and various important results have been obtained from it. In this paper, we introduce another method, {\it the so-called uniform asymptotic approximations}, which is an analytical approximation method to calculate the wave functions of the Schrödinger-like equations, and is applicable to various problems, including cases with poles (singularities) and multiple turning points. An distinguished feature of the method is that in each order of the approximations the upper bounds of the errors are given explicitly.…
We calculate the time taken by a wave packet to travel through a classically forbidden region of space in space fractional quantum mechanics. We obtain the close form expression of tunneling time from a rectangular barrier by stationary phase method. We show that tunneling time depends upon the width $b$ of the barrier for $b \to \infty$ and therefore Hartman effect doesn't exist in space fractional quantum mechanics. Interestingly we found that the tunneling time monotonically reduces with increasing $b$. The tunneling time is smaller in space fractional quantum mechanics as compared to the c…
We study quantum tunneling of a composite object, which has a dipole or quadrupole moment coupled with quantized (photon or gravitational) radiation field, through a δ potential barrier. The dipole or quadrupole moment is represented by an oscillator in the relative coordinate of two constituent particles of the object. The center of mass degrees of freedom of the object is not directly coupled with the radiation field. However, we show that, for the object with the oscillator in the excited state, dissipation caused by the radiation field can suppress its quantum tunneling rate in the center …
We introduce the third independent exactly solvable hypergeometric potential, after the Eckart and the Pöschl-Teller potentials, which is proportional to an energy-independent parameter and has a shape that is independent of this parameter. The general solution of the Schrödinger equation for this potential is written through fundamental solutions each of which presents an irreducible combination of two Gauss hypergeometric functions. The potential is an asymmetric step-barrier with variable height and steepness. Discussing the transmission above such a barrier, we derive a compact formula for…
A nonrelativistic Hamiltonian describing interaction between a mechanical degree of freedom and radiation pressure is commonly used as an ultimate tool for studying system behavior in opto-mechanics. This Hamiltonian is derived from the equation of motion of a mechanical degree of freedom and the optical wave equation with time-varying boundary conditions. We show that this approach is deficient for studying higher order nonlinear effects in an open resonant opto-mechanical system. Opto-mechanical interaction induces a large mechanical nonlinearity resulting from a strong dependence of the pow…
We present a class of 2D systems which shows a counterintuitive property that contradicts a semi classical intuition: A 2D quantum particle "prefers" tunneling through a barrier rather than traveling above it. Viewing the one particle 2D system as the system of two 1D particles, it is demonstrated that this effect occurs due to a specific symmetry of the barrier that forces excitations of the interparticle degree of freedom that, in turn, leads to the appearance of an effective potential barrier even though there is no "real" barrier. This phenomenon cannot exist in 1D.
We numerically integrate the time-dependent Schrodinger equation in a single-degree-of-freedom model of SQUID with a variable potential barrier between the basis flux states. We find that linear superpositions of the basis states, with relatively little residual excitation, can be formed by pulsed modulations of the barrier, provided the pulse duration exceeds the period of small oscillations of the flux. Two pulses applied in sequence exhibit strong interference effects, which we propose to use for an experimental determination of the decoherence time in SQUIDs.
Quantum mechanics predicts an exponentially small probability that a particle with energy greater than the height of a potential barrier will nevertheless reflect from the barrier in violation of classical expectations. This process can be regarded as tunneling in momentum space, leading to a simple derivation of the reflection probability.
We derive a standard quantum limit for probing mechanical energy quantization in a class of systems with mechanical modes parametrically coupled to external degrees of freedom. To resolve a single mechanical quantum, it requires a strong-coupling regime -- the decay rate of external degrees of freedom is smaller than the parametric coupling rate. In the case for cavity-assisted optomechanical systems, e.g. the one proposed by Thompson et al., zero-point motion of the mechanical oscillator needs to be comparable to linear dynamical range of the optical system which is characterized by the optic…
In this paper we will analyze the the status of gauge freedom in quantum mechanics (QM) and quantum field theory (QFT). Along with this analysis comparison with ordinary QFT will be given. We will show how the gauge freedom problem is connected with the spacetime coordinates status - the very point at which the difficulties of QM begin. A natural solution of the above mentioned problem will be proposed in which we give a slightly more general form of QM and QFT (in comparison to the ordinary QFT) with noncommutative structure of spacetime playing fundamental role in it. We achieve it by reinte…
We describe an opto-mechanical system in which the coupling between optical and mechanical degrees of freedom takes the form of a fully quantised third-order parametric interaction. Two physical realisations are proposed: a harmonically trapped atom in a standing wave and the `membrane in the middle' model. The dominant resonant interaction corresponds to a stimulated Raman process in which two phonons are converted into a single cavity photon. We show that this system can exhibit a stable limit cycle in which energy is periodically exchanged between optical and mechanical degrees of freedom. …
Optomechanical systems typically use light to control the quantum state of a mechanical resonator. In this paper, we propose a scheme for controlling the quantum state of light using the mechanical degree of freedom as a controlled beam splitter. Preparing the mechanical resonator in non-classical states enables an optomechanical Stern-Gerlach interferometer. When the mechanical resonator has a small coherent amplitude it acts as a quantum control, entangling the optical and mechanical degrees of freedom. As the coherent amplitude of the resonator increases, we recover single photon and two-ph…
Usually tunneling is established after imposing some matching conditions on the (time-independent) wave function and its first derivative at the boundaries of a barrier. Here an alternative scheme is proposed to determine tunneling and estimate transmission probabilities in time-dependent problems, which takes advantage of the trajectory picture provided by Bohmian mechanics. From this theory a general functional expression for the transmission probability in terms of the system initial state can be reached. This expression is used here to analyze tunneling properties and estimate transmission…
In the two-dimensional isotropic parabolic potential barrier $V(x, y)=V_0 -mγ^2 (x^2+y^2)/2$, though it is a model of an unstable system in quantum mechanics, we can obtain the stationary states corresponding to the real energy eigenvalue $V_0$. Further, they are infinitely degenerate. For the first few eigenstates, we will find the stationary flows round a right angle that are expressed by the complex velocity potentials $W=\pmγz^2/2$.
Two complementary approaches of N = 2 fractional supersymmetric quantum mechanics of order k are studied in this article. The first one, based on a generalized Weyl-Heisenberg algebra W(k) (that comprizes the affine quantum algebra Uq(sl(2)) with q to k = 1 as a special case), apparently contains solely one bosonic degree of freedom. The second one uses generalized bosonic and k-fermionic degrees of freedom. As an illustration, a particular emphasis is put on the fractional supersymmetric oscillator of order k.
How much time does a wave packet spent in tunneling a barrier? Quantum mechanical calculations result in zero time inside a barrier. In the nineties analogous tunneling experiments with microwaves were carried out confirming quantum mechanics. Electron tunneling time is hard to measure being extremely short. However, quite recently the atomic ionization tunneling time has been measured. Experimental data of photonic, phononic, and electronic tunneling time is available now. It appears that the tunneling time is a universal property in the investigated time range of twelve orders of magnitude.
The barrier billiard is the simplest example of pseudo-integrable models with interesting and intricate classical and quantum properties. Using the Wiener-Hopf method it is demonstrated that quantum mechanics of a rectangular billiard with a barrier in the centre can be reduced to the investigation of a certain unitary matrix. Under heuristic assumptions this matrix is substituted by a special low-complexity random unitary matrix of independent interest. The main results of the paper are (i) spectral statistics of such billiards is insensitive to the barrier height and (ii) it is well describe…
Cavity-enhanced radiation-pressure coupling of optical and mechanical degrees of freedom gives rise to a range of optomechanical phenomena, in particular providing a route to the quantum regime of mesoscopic mechanical oscillators. A prime challenge in cavity optomechanics has however been to realize systems which simultaneously maximize optical finesse and mechanical quality. Here we demonstrate for the first time independent control over both mechanical and optical degree of freedom within one and the same on-chip resonator. The first direct observation of mechanical normal mode coupling in …
How much time does a tunneling particle spend in a barrier? A Larmor clock, one proposal to answer this question, measures the interaction between the particle and the barrier region using an auxiliary degree of freedom of the particle to clock the dwell time inside the barrier. We report on precise Larmor time measurements of ultra-cold $^{87}$Rb atoms tunneling through an optical barrier, which confirm longstanding predictions of tunneling times. We observe that atoms generally spend less time tunneling through higher barriers and that this time decreases for lower energy particles. For the …
This thesis presents a wide-ranging study of localising relational degrees of freedom. Three physical systems are studied in depth, each built upon a simple measurement-based process. For each physical system - light from independent sources leaking onto a beam splitter monitored by photodetectors, spatially interfering Bose-Einstein condensates extracted from separate preparation procedures, and delocalised massive particles or mirrors scattering light which is detected in the far-field - the thesis investigates the key features of the underlying process of localisation, and explores the prop…
We analyze the tunneling of a particle through a repulsive potential resulting from an inverted harmonic oscillator in the quantum mechanical phase space described by the Wigner function. In particular, we solve the partial differential equations in phase space determining the Wigner function of an energy eigenstate of the inverted oscillator. The reflection or transmission coefficients $R$ or $T$ are then given by the total weight of all classical phase space trajectories corresponding to energies below, or above the top of the barrier given by the Wigner function.
Path integral method in quantum mechanics provides a new thinking for barrier option pricing. For proportional double-barrier step (PDBS) options, the option price changing process is analogous to a particle moving in a finite symmetric square potential well. We have derived the pricing kernel of PDBS options with time dependent interest rate and volatility. Numerical results of option price as a function of underlying asset price are shown as well. Path integral method can be easily generalized to the pricing of PDBS options with curved boundaries.
We show that a large class of dissipative systems can be brought to a canonical form by introducing complex co-ordinates in phase space and a complex-valued hamiltonian. A naive canonical quantization of these systems lead to non-hermitean hamiltonian operators. The excited states are unstable and decay to the ground state . We also compute the tunneling amplitude across a potential barrier.
An analysis of classical mechanics in a complex extension of phase space shows that a particle in such a space can behave in a way redolant of quantum mechanics; additional degrees of freedom permit 'tunnelling' without recourse to instantons and lead to time/energy uncertainty. In practice, 'classical' particle trajectories with additional degrees of freedom have arisen in several different formulations of quantum mechanics. In this talk we compare the extended phase space of the closed time-path formalism with that of complex classical mechanics, to suggest that $\hbar$ has a role in our und…
We study the dynamics of the classical and quantum mechanical scattering of a wave packet from an oscillating barrier. Our main focus is on the dependence of the transmission coefficient on the initial energy of the wave packet for a wide range of oscillation frequencies. The behavior of the quantum transmission coefficient is affected by tunneling phenomena, resonances and kinematic effects emanating from the time dependence of the potential. We show that when kinematic effects dominate (mainly in intermediate frequencies), classical mechanics provides very good approximation of quantum resul…
A new interpretation of quantum mechanics is proposed according to which precedence, freedom and novelty play central roles. This is based on a modification of the postulates for quantum theory given by Masanes and Muller. We argue that quantum mechanics is uniquely characterized as the probabilistic theory in which individual systems have maximal freedom in their responses to experiment, given reasonable axioms for the behavior of probabilities in a physical theory. Thus, to the extent that quantum systems are free, in the sense of Conway and Kochen, there is a sense in which they are maximal…
Time continues to be an intriguing physical property in the modern era. On the one hand, we have the Classical and Relativistic notion of time, where space and time have the same hierarchy, which is essential in describing events in spacetime. On the other hand, in Quantum Mechanics, time appears as a classical parameter, meaning that it does not have an uncertainty relation with its canonical conjugate. In this work, we use a recent proposed spacetime-symmetric formalism~\href{https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.95.032133}{[Phys.~Rev.~A {\bf 95}, 032133 (2017)]} that tries to solve the unbalance…
One dimensional quantum mechanics problems, namely the infinite potential well, the harmonic oscillator, the free particle, the Dirac delta potential, the finite well and the finite barrier are generalized for finite arbitrary dimension in a radially symmetric, or angular invariant, manner. This generalization enables the Schrödinger equation solutions to be visualized for Bessel functions and Whittaker functions, and it also enables connections to multi-dimensional physics theories, like string theory.
