The orbit method of Kirillov is used to derive the p-mechanical brackets [math-ph/0007030, quant-ph/0212101]. They generate the quantum (Moyal) and classic (Poisson) brackets on respective orbits corresponding to representations of the Heisenberg group. The extension of p-mechanics to field theory is made through the De Donder--Weyl Hamiltonian formulation. The principal step is the substitution of the Heisenberg group with Galilean.
Keywords: Classic and quantum mechanics, Moyal brackets, Poisson brackets, commutator, Heisenberg group, orbit method, deformation quantisation, representation theory, De Donder--Weyl field theory, Galilean group, Clifford algebra, conformal Möbius transformation, Dirac operator.
A Lie algebraic approach to the unitary transformations in Weyl quantization is discussed. This approach, being formally equivalent to the $\star$-quantization, is an extension of the classical Poisson-Lie formalism which can be used as an efficient tool in the quantum phase space transformation theory.
The paper is a survey of some author's results related with the Maslov--Shvedov method of complex germ and with quantum field theory. The main idea is that many results of the method of complex germ and of perturbative quantum field theory can be made more simple and natural if instead of the algebra of (pseudo)differential operators one uses the Weyl algebra (operators with Weyl symbols) with the Moyal *-product. Section 1, devoted to quantum mechanics, contains a closed mathematical description of the Maslov--Shvedov method in the theory of Schrodinger equation, including the method of canon…
We present a phase space formulation of quantum mechanics in the Schrödinger representation and derive the associated Weyl pseudo-differential calculus. We prove that the resulting theory is unitarily equivalent to the standard "configuration space" formulation and show that it allows for a uniform treatment of both pure and mixed quantum states. In the second part of the paper we determine the unitary transformation (and its infinitesimal generator) that maps the phase space Schrödinger representation into another (called Moyal) representation, where the wave function is the cross-Wigner func…
The Moyal product is used to cast the equation for the metric of a non-hermitian Hamiltonian in the form of a differential equation. For Hamiltonians of the form $p^2+V(ix)$ with $V$ polynomial this is an exact equation. Solving this equation in perturbation theory recovers known results. Explicit criteria for the hermiticity and positive definiteness of the metric are formulated on the functional level.
The rationale for introducing non-hermitian Hamiltonians and other observables is reviewed and open issues identified. We present a new approach based on Moyal products to compute the metric for quasi-hermitian systems. This approach is not only an efficient method of computation, but also suggests a new perspective on quasi-hermitian quantum mechanics which invites further exploration. In particular, we present some first results which link the Berry connection and curvature to non-perturbative properties and the metric.
In the Wigner-Moyal approach to quantum mechanics, we show that Moyal's starting point, the characteristic function $M(τ,θ)=\int ψ^{*}(x)e^{i(τ{\hat p}+θ{\hat x})}ψ(x)dx$, is essentially the primitive idempotent used by von Neumann in his classic paper "Die Eindeutigkeit der Schrödingerschen Operatoren". This paper provides the original proof of the Stone-von Neumann equation. Thus the mathematical structure Moyal develops is simply a re-expression of what is at the heart of quantum mechanics and reproduces exactly the results of the quantum formalism. The "distribution function" $F(X,P,t)$ is…
A full consideration of classical and quantum systems with radiation (electromagnetic/gravitational) requires the involvement of a mathematical description in the generalized phase space of high kinematical values. Based on the dispersion chain of equations of quantum mechanics, we construct a generalization of the von Neumann equation for the density matrix in the phase space of fourth-order kinematical values. The paper introduces a new extended definition of the fourth rank Wigner function, which is constructed from the wave functions of the second rank. A new extended Moyal equation (PSI-M…
A relativistic phase-space representation for a class of observables with matrix-valued Weyl symbols proportional to the identity matrix (charge-invariant observables)is proposed. We take into account the nontrivial charge structure of the position and momentum operators. The evolution equation coincides with its analog in relativistic quantum mechanics with nonlocal Hamiltonian under conditions where particle-pair creation does not take place (free particle and constant magnetic field). The differences in the equations are connected with peculiarities of the constraints on the initial conditi…
An extension of the Weyl-Wigner-Moyal formulation of quantum mechanics suitable for a Dirac quantized constrained system is proposed. In this formulation, quantum observables are described by equivalent classes of Weyl symbols. The Weyl product of these equivalent classes is defined. The new Moyal bracket is shown to be compatible with the Dirac bracket for constrained systems.
The primary motivation for Moyal's approach to quantum mechanics was to develop a phase space formalism for quantum phenomena by generalising the techniques of classical probability theory. To this end, Moyal introduced a quantum version of the characteristic function which immediately provides a probability distribution. The approach is sometimes perceived negatively merely as an attempt to return to classical notions, but the mathematics Moyal develops is simply a re-expression of what is at the heart of quantum mechanics, namely the non-commutative algebraic structure first introduced by vo…
We investigate the possibility that the semiclassical limit of quantum mechanics might be correctly described by a classical dynamical theory, other than standard classical mechanics. Using a set of classicality criteria proposed in a related paper, we show that the time evolution of a set of quantum initial data satisfying these criteria is fully consistent with the predictions of a new theory of classical dynamics. The dynamical structure of the new theory is given by the Moyal bracket. This is a Lie bracket that was first derived as the dynamical structure of the Moyal-Weyl-Wigner formulati…
The paper provides an introduction into p-mechanics, which is a consistent physical theory suitable for a simultaneous description of classical and quantum mechanics. p-Mechanics naturally provides a common ground for several different approaches to quantisation (geometric, Weyl, coherent states, Berezin, deformation, Moyal, etc.) and has a potential for expansions into field and string theories. The backbone of p-mechanics is solely the representation theory of the Heisenberg group. Keywords: Classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, Moyal brackets, Poisson brackets, commutator, Heisenberg grou…
The Moyal and Voros formulations of non-commutative quantum field theory has been a point of controversy in the recent past. Here we address this issue in the context of non-commutative non-relativistic quantum mechanics. In particular we show that the two formulations simply correspond to two different representations associated with two different choices of basis on the quantum Hilbert space. From a mathematical perspective the two formulations are therefore completely equivalent, but we also argue that only the Voros formulaton admits a consistent physical interpretation. These consideratio…
In order to realize supersymmetric quantum mechanics methods on a four dimensional classical phase-space, the complexified Clifford algebra of this space is extended by deforming it with the Moyal star-product in composing the components of Clifford forms. Two isospectral matrix Hamiltonians having a common bosonic part but different fermionic parts depending on four real-valued phase space functions are obtained. The Hamiltonians are doubly intertwined via matrix-valued functions which are divisors of zero in the resulting Moyal-Clifford algebra. Two illustrative examples corresponding to Jay…
The orbit method of Kirillov is used to derive the p-mechanical brackets [quant-ph/0212101]. They generate the quantum (Moyal) and classic (Poisson) brackets on respective orbits corresponding to representations of the Heisenberg group. The extension of p-mechanics to field theory is made through the De Donder-Weyl Hamiltonian formulation. The principal step is the substitution of the Heisenberg group with Galilean. Keywords: Classic and quantum mechanics, Moyal brackets, Poisson brackets, commutator, Heisenberg group, orbit method, deformation quantisation, representation theory, De Donder-We…
The quantum Liouville equation, which describes the phase space dynamics of a quantum system of fermions, is analyzed from statistical point of view as a particular example of the Kramers-Moyal expansion. Quantum mechanics is extended to the relativistic domain by generalizing the Wigner-Moyal equation. Thus, an expression is derived for the relativistic mass in the Wigner quantum phase space presentation. The diffusion with an imaginary diffusion coefficient is also discussed. An imaginary stochastic process is proposed as the origin of quantum mechanics.
Classical model of light in helicity formalism is presented. Then quantum point of view at photons -- construction and interpretation of photon wave function is proposed. Quantum mechanics of photon is investigated. The Białynicki -- Birula scalar product $\langle {\bf Ψ}_{1}|{\bf Ψ}_{2}\rangle_{BB}$ and the generalized Hermitian conjugation $\widehatγ^{+\hspace{-0.45em}+}$ of linear operator $\widehatγ$ are discussed. Quantum description of light on a phase space is developed. A photon Wigner function is built.
Deforming the algebraic structure of geometric algebra on the phase space with a Moyal product leads naturally to supersymmetric quantum mechanics in the star product formalism.
In Moyal's formulation of quantum mechanics, a quantum spin s is described in terms of continuous symbols, i.e. by smooth functions on a two-dimensional sphere. Such prescriptions to associate operators with Wigner functions, P- or Q-symbols, are conveniently expressed in terms of operator kernels satisfying the Stratonovich-Weyl postulates. In analogy to this approach, a discrete Moyal formalism is defined on the basis of a modified set of postulates. It is shown that appropriately modified postulates single out a well-defined set of kernels which give rise to discrete symbols. Now operators …
We demonstrated that classical mechanics have, besides the well known quantum deformation, another deformation -- so called hyperbolic quantum mechanics. The classical Poisson bracket can be obtained as the limit $h\to 0$ not only of the ordinary Moyal bracket, but also hyperbolic analogue of the Moyal bracket. Thus there are two different deformations of classical phase-space: complex Hilbert space and hyperbolic Hilbert space (module over a so called hyperbolic algebra -- the two dimensional Clifford algebra). To prove the correspondence principle we use the calculus over the hyperbolic alge…
The Weyl-Wigner map yields the entire structure of Moyal quantum mechanics directly from the standard operator formulation. The covariant generalization of Moyal theory, also known as Vey quantum mechanics, was presented in the literature many years ago. However, a derivation of the formalism directly from standard operator quantum mechanics, clarifying the relation between the two formulations is still missing. In this paper we present a covariant generalization of the Weyl order prescription and of the Weyl-Wigner map and use them to derive Vey quantum mechanics directly from the standard op…
Time-symmetric quantum mechanics can be described in the usual Weyl--Wigner--Moyal formalism (WWM) by using the properties of the Wigner distribution, and its generalization, the cross-Wigner distribution. The use of the latter makes clear a strongly oscillating interference between the pre- and post-selected states. This approach allows us to give explicit formulas for the state reconstruction problem, thus generalizing known results to the case of arbitrary observables. In a forthcoming paper we will extend these results to other quantization schemes.
We consider a problem of the consistent deformation of physical system introducing a new features, but preserving its fundamental properties. In particular, we study how to implement the noncommutativity of space-time without violation of the rotational symmetry in quantum mechanics or the Lorentz symmetry in f{i}eld theory. Since the canonical (Moyal) noncommutativity breaks the above symmetries one should work with more general case of coordinate-dependent noncommutative spaces, when the commutator between coordinates is a function of these coordinates. F{i}rst we describe in general lines h…
Classical mechanics is formulated in complex Hilbert space with the introduction of a commutative product of operators, an antisymmetric bracket, and a quasidensity operator. These are analogues of the star product, the Moyal bracket, and the Wigner function in the phase space formulation of quantum mechanics. Classical mechanics can now be viewed as a deformation of quantum mechanics. The forms of semiquantum approximations to classical mechanics are indicated.
Field theories on the Groenewold-Moyal(GM) plane are studied using the Lehmann-Symanzik-Zimmermann(LSZ) formalism. The example of real scalar fields is treated in detail. The S-matrix elements in this non-perturbative approach are shown to be equal to the interaction representation S-matrix elements. This is a new non-trivial result: in both cases, the S-operator is independent of the noncommutative deformation parameter $θ_{μν}$ and the change in scattering amplitudes due to noncommutativity is just a time delay. This result is verified in two different ways. But the off-shell Green's functio…
It is demonstrated how quantum mechanics emerges from the stochastic dynamics of force-carriers. It is shown that the quantum Moyal equation corresponds to some dynamic correlations between the momentum of a real particle and the position of a virtual particle, which are not present in classical mechanics. The new concept throws light on the physical meaning of quantum theory, showing that the Planck constant square is a second-second cross-cumulant.
Second quantization of a classical nonrelativistic one-particle system as a deformation quantization of the Schrodinger spinless field is considered. Under the assumption that the phase space of the Schrodinger field is $C^{\infty}$, both, the Weyl-Wigner-Moyal and Berezin deformation quantizations are discussed and compared. Then the geometric quantum mechanics is also quantized using the Berezin method under the assumption that the phase space is $CP^{\infty}$ endowed with the Fubini-Study Kahlerian metric. Finally, the Wigner function for an arbitrary particle state and its evolution equati…
By making use of the Weyl-Wigner-Groenewold-Moyal association rules, a commutative product and a new quantum bracket are constructed in the ring of operators \cal{F}(H). In this way, an isomorphism between Lie algebra of classical observables (with Poisson bracket) and the Lie algebra of quantum observables with this new bracket is established. By these observations, a formulation of the classical mechanics in \cal{F}(H} is obtained and is shown to be \hbar\to 0 limit of the Heisenberg picture formulation of the quantum mechanics.
In this tenth paper of the series we aim at showing that our formalism, using the Wigner-Moyal Infinitesimal Transformation together with classical mechanics, endows us with the ways to quantize a system in any coordinate representation we wish. This result is necessary if one even think about making general relativistic extensions of the quantum formalism. Besides, physics shall not be dependent on the specific representation we use and this result is necessary to make quantum theory consistent and complete.
We show the emergence of Berry phase in a forced harmonic oscillator system placed in the quantum space-time of Moyal type, where the time 't' is also an operator. An effective commutative description of the system gives a time dependent generalised harmonic oscillator system with perturbation linear in position and momentum. The system is then diagonalised to get a generalised harmonic oscillator and then its adiabatic evolution over time-period $\mathcal{T}$ is studied in Heisenberg picture to compute the expression of geometric phase-shift.
We investigate the Weyl-Wigner-Gröenewold-Moyal, the Stratonovich and the Berezin group quantization schemes for the space-space noncommutative Heisenberg-Weyl group. We show that the $\star$-product for the deformed algebra of Weyl functions for the first scheme is different than that for the other two, even though their respective quantum mechanics' are equivalent as far as expectation values are concerned, provided that some additional criteria are imposed on the implementation of this process. We also show that it is the $\star$-product associated with the Stratonovich and the Berezin form…
A new approach to deformation quantization on the cylinder considered as phase space is presented. The method is based on the standard Moyal formalism for R^2 adapted to (S^1 x R) by the Weil--Brezin--Zak transformation. The results are compared with other solutions of this problem presented by Kasperkovitz and Peev (Ann. Phys. vol. 230, 21 (1994)0 and by Plebanski and collaborators (Acta Phys. Pol. vol. B 31}, 561 (2000)). The equivalence of these three methods is proved.
Appearance of adiabatic geometric phase shift in the context of noncommutative quantum mechanics is studied using an exactly solvable model of 2D simple harmonic oscilator in Moyal plane, where momentum non-commutativity are also considered along with spatial noncommutativity. After finding a suitable Bopp shift, that bridges the noncommutative phase space operators with their effective commutative counterparts, having their dependence on the non-commutative parameters, we study the adiabatic evolution in the Heisenberg picture. An explicit expression for the geometric phase shift under adiaba…
In quantum statistical mechanics, Moyal's equation governs the time evolution of Wigner functions and of more general Weyl symbols that represent the density matrix of arbitrary mixed states. A formal solution to Moyal's equation is given by Marinov's path integral. In this paper we demonstrate that this path integral can be regarded as the natural link between several conceptual, geometric, and dynamical issues in quantum mechanics. A unifying perspective is achieved by highlighting the pivotal role which the response field, one of the integration variables in Marinov's integral, plays for pu…
We construct an effective commutative Schrödinger equation in Moyal space-time in $(1+1)$-dimension where both $t$ and $x$ are operator-valued and satisfy $\left[ \hat{t}, \hat{x} \right] = i θ$. Beginning with a time-reparametrised form of an action we identify the actions of various space-time coordinates and their conjugate momenta on quantum states, represented by Hilbert-Schmidt operators. Since time is also regarded as a configuration space variable, we show how an `induced' inner product can be extracted, so that an appropriate quantum mechanical interpretation is obtained. We then disc…
In this continuation paper the theory is further extended to reveal the connection between its formal aparatus, dealing with microscopic quantities, and the formal aparatus of thermodynamics, related to macroscopic properties of large systems. We will also derive the Born-Sommerfeld quantization rules from the formalism of the infinitesimal Wigner-Moyal transformations and, as a consequence of this result, we will also make a connection between the later and the path integral approach of Feynman. Some insights of the relation between quantum mechanics and equilibrium states will be given as a …
Wigner's quasi-probability distribution function in phase-space is a special (Weyl) representation of the density matrix. It has been useful in describing quantum transport in quantum optics; nuclear physics; decoherence (eg, quantum computing); quantum chaos; "Welcher Weg" discussions; semiclassical limits. It is also of importance in signal processing. Nevertheless, a remarkable aspect of its internal logic, pioneered by Moyal, has only emerged in the last quarter-century: It furnishes a third, alternative, formulation of Quantum Mechanics, independent of the conventional Hilbert Space, or P…
We investigate a quantum-to-classical transition which arises naturally within the fuzzy sphere formalism for three-dimensional non-commutative quantum mechanics. This transition may be understood as the mechanism of decoherence, but without requiring an additional external heat bath. We focus on treating a two-pinhole interference configuration within this formalism, as it provides an illustrative toy model for which this transition is readily observed and quantified. Specifically, we demonstrate a suppression of the quantum interference effects for objects passing through the pinholes with s…
Ever since Werner Heisenberg's 1927 paper on uncertainty, there has been considerable hesitancy in simultaneously considering positions and momenta in quantum contexts, since these are incompatible observables. But this persistent discomfort with addressing positions and momenta jointly in the quantum world is not really warranted, as was first fully appreciated by Hilbrand Groenewold and José Moyal in the 1940s. While the formalism for quantum mechanics in phase space was wholly cast at that time, it was not completely understood nor widely known --- much less generally accepted --- until the…
We consider quantum phase-space dynamics using Wigner's representation of quantum mechanics. We stress the usefulness of the integral form for the description of Wigner's phase-space current~$\bm J$ as an alternative to the popular Moyal bracket. The integral form brings out the symmetries between momentum and position representations of quantum mechanics, is numerically stable, and allows us to perform some calculations using elementary integrals instead of Groenewold star products. Our central result is an explicit, elementary proof which shows that only systems up to quadratic in their pote…
Dito and Turrubiates recently introduced an interesting model of the dissipative quantum mechanics of a damped harmonic oscillator in phase space. Its key ingredient is a non-Hermitian deformation of the Moyal star product with the damping constant as deformation parameter. We compare the Dito-Turrubiates scheme with phase-space quantum mechanics (or deformation quantization) based on other star products, and extend it to incorporate Wigner functions. The deformed (or damped) star product is related to a complex Hamiltonian, and so necessitates a modified equation of motion involving complex c…
The thesis is devoted to the phase space representation of relativistic quantum mechanics. For a class of observables with matrix-valued Weyl symbols proportional to the identity matrix, the Weyl-Wigner-Moyal formalism is proposed. The evolution equations are found to coincide with their counterparts in relativistic quantum mechanics with non-local Hamiltonian. The difference between the theories is connected with peculiarities of the constraints on the initial conditions. Effective increase in coherence between eigenstates of the Hamiltonian is found. Relativistic coherent states that take in…
We provide an answer to the long standing problem of mixing quantum and classical dynamics within a single formalism. The construction is based on p-mechanical derivation (quant-ph/0212101, quant-ph/0304023) of quantum and classical dynamics from the representation theory of the Heisenberg group. To achieve a quantum-classical mixing we take the product of two copies of the Heisenberg group which represent two different Planck's constants. In comparison with earlier guesses our answer contains an extra term of analytical nature, which was not obtained before in purely algebraic setup. Keywords…
Answers to some salient questions, which arise in quantum plasmas, are given. Starting from the Schrödinger equation for a single particle it is demonstrated how the Wigner-Moyal equation can be derived. It is shown that the Wigner-Moyal type of equation also exists in the classical field theory. As an example, from the Maxwell equations the Wigner-Moyal type of equation is obtained for a dense photon gas, which is classical, concluding that the Wigner-Moyal type of equation can be derived for any system, classical or quantum. A new type of quantum kinetic equations are presented. These novel …
This is an up-to-date survey of the p-mechanical construction (see funct-an/9405002, quant-ph/9610016, math-ph/0007030, quant-ph/0212101, quant-ph/0303142), which is a consistent physical theory suitable for a simultaneous description of classical and quantum mechanics. Observables in p-mechanics are defined to be convolution operators on the Heisenberg group H^n. Under irreducible representations of H^n the p-observables generate corresponding observables in classical and quantum mechanics. p-States are defined as positive linear functionals on p-observables. It is shown that both states and …
It has been argued that the existence of time crystals requires a spontaneous breakdown of the continuous time translation symmetry so to account for the unexpected non-stationary behavior of quantum observables in the ground state. Our point is that such effects do emerge from position ($\hat{q}_i$) and/or momentum ($\hat{p}_i$) noncommutativity, i.e., from $[\hat{q}_i,\,\hat{q}_j]\neq 0$ and/or $[\hat{p}_i,\,\hat{p}_j]\neq 0$ (for $i\neq j$). In such a context, a predictive analysis is carried out for the $2$-dim noncommutative quantum harmonic oscillator through a procedure supported by the…
