The semiclassical treatment of the two-dimensional harmonic oscillator provides an instructive example of the relation between classical motion and the quantum mechanical energy spectrum. We extend previous work on the anisotropic oscillator with incommensurate frequencies and the isotropic oscillator to the case with commensurate frequencies for which the Lissajous curves appear as classical periodic orbits. Because of the three different scenarios depending on the ratio of its frequencies, the two-dimensional harmonic oscillator offers a unique way to explicitly analyze the role of symmetries in classical and quantum mechanics.
We demonstrate a formally exact quantum-classical correspondence between the stationary coherent states associated with the commensurate anisotropic two-dimensional harmonic oscillator and the classical Lissajous orbits. Our derivation draws upon earlier work of Louck et al [1973 \textit {J. Math. Phys.} \textbf {14} 692] wherein they have provided a non-bijective canonical transformation that maps, within a degenerate eigenspace, the commensurate anisotropic oscillator on to the isotropic oscillator. This mapping leads, in a natural manner, to a Schwinger realization of SU(2) in terms of the …
A quantum scar - an enhancement of a quantum probability density in the vicinity of a classical periodic orbit - is a fundamental phenomenon connecting quantum and classical mechanics. Here we demonstrate that some of the eigenstates of the perturbed two-dimensional anisotropic (elliptic) harmonic oscillator are strongly scarred by the Lissajous orbits of the unperturbed classical counterpart. In particular, we show that the occurrence and geometry of these quantum Lissajous scars are connected to the anisotropy of the harmonic confinement, but unlike the classical Lissajous orbits the scars s…
The 2:1 two-dimensional anisotropic quantum harmonic oscillator is considered and new sets of states are defined by means of normal-ordering non-linear operators through the use of non-commutative binomial theorems as well as solving recurrence relations. The states generated are good candidates for the natural generalisation of the $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ coherent states of the two-dimensional isotropic oscillator. The two-dimensional non-linear generalised ladder operators lead to several chains of states which are connected in a non trivial way. The uncertainty relations of the defining chain of…
We show that a recently developed semiclassical expansion for the eigenvalues of PT-symmetric oscillators of the form $V(x)=(ix)^{2N+1}+bix$ does not agree with an earlier WKB expression for $V(x)=-(ix)^{2N+1}$ the case $b=0$. The reason is due to the choice of different paths in the complex plane for the calculation of the WKB integrals. We compare the Stokes and anti-Stokes lines that apply to each case for the quintic oscillator and derive a general WKB expression that contains the two earlier ones.
We derive the steady state solution of the Fokker-Planck equation that describes the dynamics of the nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator in the truncated Wigner representation of the density operator. The adiabatic limit of strong pump damping is assumed. This phase space image provides a clear view of the intracavity two-mode entangled state valid in all operating regimes of the OPO. A nongaussian distribution is obtained for the above threshold solution.
We study the quantum dissipative Duffing oscillator across a range of system sizes and environmental couplings under varying semiclassical approximations. Using spatial (based on Kullback-Leibler distances between phase-space attractors) and temporal (Lyapunov exponent-based) complexity metrics, we isolate the effect of the environment on quantum-classical differences. Moreover, we quantify the system sizes where quantum dynamics cannot be simulated using semiclassical or noise-added classical approximations. Remarkably, we find that a parametrically invariant meta-attractor emerges at a speci…
We study the classical and quantum perturbation theory for two non--resonant oscillators coupled by a nonlinear quartic interaction. In particular we analyze the question of quantum corrections to the torus quantization of the classical perturbation theory (semiclassical mechanics). We obtain up to the second order of perturbation theory an explicit analytical formula for the quantum energy levels, which is the semiclassical one plus quantum corrections. We compare the "exact" quantum levels obtained numerically to the semiclassical levels studying also the effects of quantum corrections.
Semiclassical quantization is exact only for the so called \emph{solvable} potentials, such as the harmonic oscillator. In the \emph{nonsolvable} case the semiclassical phase, given by a series in $\hbar$, yields more or less approximate results and eventually diverges due to the asymptotic nature of the expansion. A quantum phase is derived to bypass these shortcomings. It achieves exact quantization of nonsolvable potentials and allows to obtain the quantum wavefunction while locally approaching the best pre-divergent semiclassical expansion. An iterative procedure allowing to implement prac…
The explicit semiclassical treatment of logarithmic perturbation theory for the nonrelativistic bound states problem is developed. Based upon $\hbar$-expansions and suitable quantization conditions a new procedure for deriving perturbation expansions for the one-dimensional anharmonic oscillator is offered. Avoiding disadvantages of the standard approach, new handy recursion formulae with the same simple form both for ground and exited states have been obtained. As an example, the perturbation expansions for the energy eigenvalues of the harmonic oscillator perturbed by $λx^{6}$ are considered…
Optimal entrainment of a quantum nonlinear oscillator to a periodically modulated weak harmonic drive is studied in the semiclassical regime. By using the semiclassical phase reduction theory recently developed for quantum nonlinear oscillators, two types of optimization problems, one for the stability and the other for the phase coherence of the entrained state, are considered. The optimal waveforms of the periodic amplitude modulation can be derived by applying the classical optimization methods to the semiclassical phase equation that approximately describes the quantum limit-cycle dynamics…
We investigate symmetric oscillators, and in particular their quantization, by employing semiclassical and quantum phase functions introduced in the context of Liouville-Green transformations of the Schrödinger equation. For anharmonic oscillators, first order semiclassical quantization is seldom accurate and the higher order expansions eventually break down given the asymptotic nature of the series. A quantum phase that allows in principle to retrieve the exact quantum mechanical quantization condition and wavefunctions is given along with an iterative scheme to compute it. The arbitrariness …
We present a theory describing the semiclassical dynamics of a superconducting flux qubit inductively coupled to a nanomechanical oscillator. Focusing on the influence of the qubit on the mechanical element, and on the nonlinear phenomena displayed by this device, we show that it exhibits retardation effects and self-excited oscillations. These can be harnessed for the generation of non-classical states of the mechanical oscillator. In addition, we find that this system shares several fundamental properties with cavity optomechanical systems, and elucidate the analogy between these two classes…
Motivated by recent experimental progress to read out quantum bits implemented in superconducting circuits via the phenomenon of dynamical bifurcation, transitions between steady orbits in a driven anharmonic oscillator, the Duffing oscillator, are analyzed. In the regime of weak dissipation a consistent master equation in the semiclassical limit is derived to capture the intimate relation between finite tunneling and reflection and bath induced quantum fluctuations. From the corresponding steady state distributions analytical expressions for the switching probabilities are obtained. It is sho…
We develop a general theoretical framework of semiclassical phase reduction for analyzing synchronization of quantum limit-cycle oscillators. The dynamics of quantum dissipative systems exhibiting limit-cycle oscillations are reduced to a simple, one-dimensional classical stochastic differential equation approximately describing the phase dynamics of the system under the semiclassical approximation. The density matrix and power spectrum of the original quantum system can be approximately reconstructed from the reduced phase equation. The developed framework enables us to analyze synchronizatio…
An analysis of the semiclassical regime of the quantum-classical transition is given for open, bounded, one dimensional chaotic dynamical systems. Environmental fluctuations -- characteristic of all realistic dynamical systems -- suppress the development of fine structure in classical phase space and damp nonlocal contributions to the semiclassical Wigner function which would otherwise invalidate the approximation. This dual regularization of the singular nature of the semiclassical limit is demonstrated by a numerical investigation of the chaotic Duffing oscillator.
We use coherent states as a time-dependent variational ansatz for a semiclassical treatment of the dynamics of anharmonic quantum oscillators. In this approach the square variance of the Hamiltonian within coherent states is of particular interest. This quantity turns out to have natural interpretation with respect to time-dependent solutions of the semiclassical equations of motion. Moreover, our approach allows for an estimate of the decoherence time of a classical object due to quantum fluctuations. We illustrate our findings at the example of the Toda chain.
We carry out an exact quantization of a PT symmetric (reversible) Liénard type one dimensional nonlinear oscillator both semiclassically and quantum mechanically. The associated time independent classical Hamiltonian is of non-standard type and is invariant under a combined coordinate reflection and time reversal transformation. We use von Roos symmetric ordering procedure to write down the appropriate quantum Hamiltonian. While the quantum problem cannot be tackled in coordinate space, we show how the problem can be successfully solved in momentum space by solving the underlying Schrödinger e…
In this article we extend previous semiclassical studies by including more general perturbative potentials of the harmonic oscillator in arbitrary spatial dimensions. Our starting point is a radial harmonic potential with an arbitrary even monomial perturbation, which we use to study the resulting $\mathrm{U}(D)$ to $\mathrm{O}(D)$ symmetry breaking. We derive the gross structure of the semiclassical spectrum from periodic orbit theory, in the form of a perturbative ($\hbar \rightarrow 0$) trace formula. We then show how to apply the results to even order polynomial potentials, possibly includ…
A uniform approximation for the coherent state propagator, valid in the vicinity of phase space caustics, was recently obtained using the Maslov method combined with a dual representation for coherent states. In this paper we review the derivation of this formula and apply it to two model systems: the one-dimensional quartic oscillator and a two-dimensional chaotic system.
We study a minimal model that has a driven-dissipative quantum phase transition, namely a Kerr non-linear oscillator subject to driving and dissipation. Using mean-field theory, exact diagonalization, and the Keldysh formalism, we analyze the critical phenomena in this system, showing which aspects can be captured by each approach and how the approaches complement each other. Then critical scaling and finite-size scaling are calculated analytically using the quantum Langevin equation. The physics contained in this simple model is surprisingly rich: it includes a continuous phase transition, $Z…
Propagation of the Wigner function is studied on two levels of semiclassical propagation, one based on the van-Vleck propagator, the other on phase-space path integration. Leading quantum corrections to the classical Liouville propagator take the form of a time-dependent quantum spot. Its oscillatory structure depends on whether the underlying classical flow is elliptic or hyperbolic. It can be interpreted as the result of interference of a \emph{pair} of classical trajectories, indicating how quantum coherences are to be propagated semiclassically in phase space. The phase-space path-integral…
We propose a new method of quantization of a wide class of dynamical systems that originates directly from the equations of motion. The method is based on the correspondence between the classical and the quantum Poisson brackets, postulated by Dirac. This correspondence applied to open (non-Hamiltonian) systems allows one to point out the way of transition from the quantum description based on the Lindblad equation to the dynamical description of their classical analogs by the equations of motion and vice versa. As the examples of using of the method we describe the procedure of the quantizati…
We study the effect of frequent projective measurements on the dynamics of quantum self-sustaining systems, by considering the prototypical example of the quantum Van der Pol oscillator. Quantum fluctuations are responsible for phase diffusion which progressively blurs the semiclassical limit cycle dynamics and synchronization, either to an external driving, or between two coupled self-sustained oscillators. We show that by subjecting the system to repeated measurements of heterodyne type at an appropriate repetition frequency one can significantly suppress phase diffusion without spoiling the…
The explicit semiclassical treatment of the logarithmic perturbation theory for the bound-state problem for the spherical anharmonic oscillator is developed. Based upon the $\hbar$-expansions and suitable quantization conditions a new procedure for deriving perturbation expansions is offered. Avoiding disadvantages of the standard approach, new handy recursion formulae with the same simple form both for ground and excited states have been obtained. As an example, the perturbation expansions for the energy eigenvalues of the quartic anharmonic oscillator are considered.
The mapping of the Wigner distribution function (WDF) for a given bound-state onto a semiclassical distribution function (SDF) satisfying the Liouville equation introduced previously by us is applied to the ground state of the Morse oscillator. Here we give results showing that the SDF gets closer to the corresponding WDF as the number of levels of the Morse oscillator increases. We find that for a Morse oscillator with one level only, the agreement between the WDF and the mapped SDF is very poor but for a Morse oscillator of ten levels it becomes satisfactory.
We study the quantum mechanical motion in the $x^2y^2$ potentials with $n=2,3$, which arise in the spatially homogeneous limit of the Yang-Mills (YM) equations. These systems show strong stochasticity in the classical limit ($\hbar = 0$) and exhibit a quantum mechanical confinement feature. We calculate the partition function $Z(t)$ going beyond the Thomas-Fermi (TF) approximation by means of the semiclassical expansion using the Wigner-Kirkwood (WK) method. We derive a novel compact form of the differential equation for the WK function. After separating the motion in the channels of the equip…
We study the quantum evolution in dimension three of a system composed by a test particle interacting with an environment made of $N$ harmonic oscillators. At time zero the test particle is described by a spherical wave, i.e. a highly correlated continuous superposition of states with well localized position and momentum, and the oscillators are in the ground state. Under suitable assumptions on the physical parameters characterizing the model, we give an asymptotic expression of the solution of the Schrödinger equation of the system with an explicit control of the error. The result shows that…
Inspired by special and general relativistic systems that can have Hamiltonians involving square roots, or more general fractional powers, in this article we address the question how a suitable set of coherent states for such systems can be obtained. This becomes a relevant topic if the semiclassical sector of a given quantum theory wants to be analysed. As a simple setup we consider the toy model of a deparametrised system with one constraint that involves a fractional power of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian operator and we discuss two approaches for finding suitable coherent states for …
Quantum mechanics has been formulated in phase space, with the Wigner function as the representative of the quantum density operator, and classical mechanics has been formulated in Hilbert space, with the Groenewold operator as the representative of the classical Liouville density function. Semiclassical approximations to the quantum evolution of the Wigner function have been defined, enabling the quantum evolution to be approached from a classical starting point. Now analogous semiquantum approximations to the classical evolution of the Groenewold operator are defined, enabling the classical …
We analyze the asymptotics of the Wigner $3j$-symbol as a matrix element connecting eigenfunctions of a pair of integrable systems, obtained by lifting the problem of the addition of angular momenta into the space of Schwinger's oscillators. A novel element is the appearance of compact Lagrangian manifolds that are not tori, due to the fact that the observables defining the quantum states are noncommuting. These manifolds can be quantized by generalized Bohr-Sommerfeld rules and yield all the correct quantum numbers. The geometry of the classical angular momentum vectors emerges in a clear man…
We study the emergence of macrorealism in a harmonic oscillator subject to consecutive measurements of a squeezed action. Since the harmonic oscillator dynamics admits a hidden trajectory formulation, the assumptions of macrorealism are violated only by the measurement process. We demonstrate a breakdown of macrorealism in a wide parameter range that is maximized in a scaling limit of extreme squeezing. A semiclassical analysis shows that macrorealism is violated even with measurements of classically smooth observables that do not resolve quantum levels. We propose an experimental test of macr…
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…
Intracavity and external third order correlations in the damped nondegenerate parametric oscillator are calculated for quantum mechanics and stochastic electrodynamics (SED), a semiclassical theory. The two theories yield greatly different results, with the correlations of quantum mechanics being cubic in the system's nonlinear coupling constant and those of SED being linear in the same constant. In particular, differences between the two theories are present in at least a mesoscopic regime. They also exist when realistic damping is included. Such differences illustrate distinctions between qu…
We derive the steady state solution of the Fokker-Planck equation that describes the dynamics of the nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator in the truncated Wigner representation of the density operator. We assume that the pump mode is strongly damped, which permits its adiabatic elimination. When the elimination is correctly executed, the resulting stochastic equations contain multiplicative noise terms, and do not admit a potential solution. However, we develop an heuristic scheme leading to a satisfactory steady-state solution. This provides a clear view of the intracavity two-mode ent…
In our previous paper I (del Valle--Turbiner, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A34, 1950143, 2019) it was developed the formalism to study the general $D$-dimensional radial anharmonic oscillator with potential $V(r)= \frac{1}{g^2}\,\hat{V}(gr)$. It was based on the Perturbation Theory (PT) in powers of $g$ (weak coupling regime) and in inverse, fractional powers of $g$ (strong coupling regime) in both $r$-space and in $(gr)$-space, respectively. As the result it was introduced - the Approximant - a locally-accurate uniform compact approximation of a wave function. If taken as a trial function in variationa…
Introduction Path Integrals - Introduction - Propagator - Free Particle - Path Integral Representation of Quantum Mechanics - Particle on a Ring - Particle in a Box - Driven Harmonic Oscillator - Semiclassical Approximation - Imaginary Time Path Integral Dissipative Systems - Introduction - Environment as Collection of Harmonic Oscillators - Effective Action Damped Harmonic Oscillator - Partition Function - Ground State Energy and Density of States - Position Autocorrelation Function
We show theoretically how a driven harmonic oscillator can be used as a quantum simulator for non-Markovian damped harmonic oscillator. In the general framework, the results demonstrate the possibility to use a closed system as a simulator for open quantum systems. The quantum simulator is based on sets of controlled drives of the closed harmonic oscillator with appropriately tailored electric field pulses. The non-Markovian dynamics of the damped harmonic oscillator is obtained by using the information about the spectral density of the open system when averaging over the drives of the closed …
We discuss some problems of dissipative chaos for open quantum systems in the framework of semiclassical and quantum distributions. For this goal, we propose a driven nonlinear oscillator with time-dependent coefficients, i.e. with time-dependent Kerr-nonlinearity and time-modulated driving field. This model showing both regular and chaotic dynamics in the classical limit is realized in several experimental schemes. Quantum dissipative chaos is analyzed on the base of numerical method of quantum trajectories. Three quantities are studied: the Wigner function of oscillatory mode from the point …
We derive the semiclassical series for the partition function in Quantum Statistical Mechanics (QSM) from its path integral representation. Each term of the series is obtained explicitly from the (real) minima of the classical action. The method yields a simple derivation of the exact result for the harmonic oscillator, and an accurate estimate of ground-state energy and specific heat for a single-well quartic anharmonic oscillator. As QSM can be regarded as finite temperature field theory at a point, we make use of Feynman diagrams to illustrate the non-perturbative character of the series: i…
We study the phase-space representation of dynamics of bosons in the semiclassical regime where the occupation number of the modes is large. To this end, we employ the van Vleck-Gutzwiller propagator to obtain an approximation for the Green's function of the Wigner distribution. The semiclassical analysis incorporates interference of classical paths and reduces to the truncated Wigner approximation (TWA) when the interference is ignored. Furthermore, we identify the Ehrenfest time after which the TWA fails. As a case study, we consider a single-mode quantum nonlinear oscillator, which displays…
Operadic Lax representations for the harmonic oscillator are used to construct the quantum counterparts of some real three dimensional Lie algebras. The Jacobi operators of these quantum algebras are studied in semiclassical approximation.
The connection between Poincaré spheres for polariz-ation and Gaussian beams is explored, focusing on the interpretation of elliptic polarization in terms of the isotropic 2-dimensional harmonic oscillator in Hamiltonian mechanics, its canonical quantization and semiclassical interpretation. This leads to the interpretation of structured Gaussian modes, the Hermite-Gaussian, Laguerre-Gaussian and Generalized Hermite-Laguerre Gaussian modes as eigenfunctions of operators corresponding to the classical constants of motion of the 2-dimensional oscillator, which acquire an extra significance as fa…
We propose a definition of the asymptotic phase for quantum nonlinear oscillators from the viewpoint of the Koopman operator theory. The asymptotic phase is a fundamental quantity for the analysis of classical limit-cycle oscillators, but it has not been defined explicitly for quantum nonlinear oscillators. In this study, we define the asymptotic phase for quantum oscillatory systems by using the eigenoperator of the backward Liouville operator associated with the fundamental oscillation frequency. By using the quantum van der Pol oscillator with Kerr effect as an example, we illustrate that t…
For the general $D$-dimensional radial anharmonic oscillator with potential $V(r)= \frac{1}{g^2}\,\hat{V}(gr)$ the Perturbation Theory (PT) in powers of coupling constant $g$ (weak coupling regime) and in inverse, fractional powers of $g$ (strong coupling regime) is developed constructively in $r$-space and in $(gr)$ space, respectively. The Riccati-Bloch (RB) equation and Generalized Bloch (GB) equation are introduced as ones which govern dynamics in coordinate $r$-space and in $(gr)$-space, respectively, exploring the logarithmic derivative of wavefunction $y$. It is shown that PT in powers …
The semiclassical theory of light-matter interactions describes the interaction between a classical electromagnetic field with a quantum mechanical two-level system.We show that the quantum mechanical two-level system can be modeled by a system of two coupled classical harmonic oscillators whose eigenstates are split in frequency according to the coupling strength and play the roles of the two levels of the quantum mechanical two-level system. The effect of the light field on the mechanical system is modeled as a modulation of the spring constants of the individual oscillators. Using this full…
The dynamics of a quantum nonlinear oscillator is studied in terms of its quasi-flow, a dynamical mapping of the classical phase plane that represents the time-evolution of the quantum observables. Explicit expressions are derived for the deformation of the classical flow by the quantum nonlinearity in the semiclassical limit. The breakdown of the classical trajectories under the quantum nonlinear dynamics is quantified by the mismatch of the quasi-flow carried by different observables. It is shown that the failure of classical realism can give rise to a dynamical violation of Bell's inequalit…
We analyze the Jaynes-Cummings model of quantum optics, in the strong-dispersive regime. In the bad cavity limit and on timescales short compared to the atomic coherence time, the dynamics are those of a nonlinear oscillator. A steady-state non-perturbative semiclassical analysis exhibits a finite region of bistability delimited by a pair of critical points, unlike the usual dispersive bistability from a Kerr nonlinearity. This analysis explains our quantum trajectory simulations that show qualitative agreement with recent experiments from the field of circuit quantum electrodynamics.
We study switching between period-two states of an underdamped quantum oscillator modulated at nearly twice its natural frequency. For all temperatures and parameter values switching occurs via quantum activation: it is determined by diffusion over oscillator quasienergy, provided the relaxation rate exceeds the rate of interstate tunneling. The diffusion has quantum origin and accompanies relaxation to the stable state. We find the semiclassical distribution over quasienergy. For T=0, where the system has detailed balance, this distribution differs from the distribution for $T\to 0$; the T=0 …
Motivated by quantum gravity, semi-classical theory, and quantum theory on curved spacetimes, we study the system of an oscillator coupled to two spin-1/2 particles. This model provides a prototype for comparing three types of dynamics: the full quantum theory, the classical oscillator with spin backreaction, and spins propagating on a fixed oscillator background. From nonperturbative calculations of oscillator and entanglement entropy dynamics, we find that entangled tripartite states produce novel oscillator trajectories, and that the three systems give equivalent dynamics for sufficiently w…
