It is shown, that for quantum systems the vectorfield associated with the equations of motion may admit alternative Hamiltonian descriptions, both in the Schrödinger and Heisenberg pictures. We illustrate these ambiguities in terms of simple examples.
The problem of whether or not the equations of motion of a quantum system determine the commutation relations was posed by E.P.Wigner in 1950. A similar problem (known as "The Inverse Problem in the Calculus of Variations") was posed in a classical setting as back as in 1887 by H.Helmoltz and has received great attention also in recent times. The aim of this paper is to discuss how these two apparently unrelated problems can actually be discussed in a somewhat unified framework. After reviewing briefly the Inverse Problem and the existence of alternative structures for classical systems, we di…
The Wigner Phase Operator (WPO) is identified as an operator valued measure (OVM) and its eigen states are obtained. An operator satisfying the canonical commutation relation with the Wigner phase operator is also constructed and this establishes a Wigner distribution based operator formalism for the Wigner Phase Distribution. The operator satisfying the canonical commutation relation with the Wigner Phase Operator valued measure (WP-OVM) is found to be not the usual number operator. We show a way to overcome the non-positivity problem of the WP-OVM by defining a positive OVM by means of a pro…
Invertible maps from operators of quantum obvservables onto functions of c-number arguments and their associative products are first assessed. Different types of maps like Weyl-Wigner-Stratonovich map and s-ordered quasidistribution are discussed. The recently introduced symplectic tomography map of observables (tomograms) related to the Heisenberg-Weyl group is shown to belong to the standard framework of the maps from quantum observables onto the c-number functions. The star-product for symbols of the quantum-observable for each one of the maps (including the tomographic map) and explicit re…
The quantum weak value draws many attentions recently from theoretical curiosity to experimental applications. Now we design an unusual weak measuring procedure as the pre-selection, mid-selection and post-selection to study the correlation function of two weak values, which we called the weak correlation function. In this paper, we proposed an weak measurement experiment to measure the canonical commutator $[\hat{x},\hat{p}]=i\hbar$ in quantum mechanics. Furthurmore, we found the intriguing equivalence between the canonical commutation relation and Riemann hypothesis, and then obtained the we…
Despite the fact that it has been known since the time of Heisenberg that quantum operators obey a quantum version of Newton's laws, students are often told that derivations of quantum mechanics must necessarily follow from the Hamiltonian or Lagrangian formulations of mechanics. Here, we first derive the existing Heisenberg equations of motion from Newton's laws and the uncertainty principle using only the equations $F=\frac{dP}{dt}$, $P=m\frac{dV}{dt}$, and $\left[X,P\right]=i$. Then, a new expression for the propagator is derived that makes a connection between time evolution in quantum mec…
It seems that the problem of finding a suitable position operator for photon has been solved in a recently published work which is based on a new commutation relation between position and momentum operators of massless particles[1]. Although the authors of [1] have presented a classical reasoning in favour of the new commutator,here we are going to find this new commutator based on a quantum mechanical argument.
Bell's inequalities in the form given by Wigner are derived from the so-called fundamental assumption of statistical mechanics. I then demonstrate the possible relationship between these inequalities and the second law, particularly if assuming the Pauli exclusion principle dictates the expected outcomes.
Recent developments in elementary quantum mechanics have seen a number of extraordinary claims regarding quantum behaviour, and even questioning internal consistency of the theory. These are, we argue, different disguises of what Feynman described as quantum theory's "only mystery".
In constructing his theorem, Bell assumed that correlation functions among non-commuting variables are the same as those among commuting variables. However, in quantum mechanics, multiple data values exist simultaneously for commuting operations while for non-commuting operations data are conditional on prior outcomes, or may be predicted as alternative outcomes of the non-commuting operations. Given these qualitative differences, there is no reason why correlation functions among non-commuting variables should be the same as those among commuting variables, as assumed by Bell. When data for c…
The Born-Jordan method for constructing the quantum condition of the Matrix Mechanics is pointed out to be inappropriate in the present work. We modify this method and reconstruct the quantum condition by setting up a new expression for the Bohr quantum condition with the help of the (n,n) elements of the matrix $\oint\hat{p}(t){\rm d}\hat{x}(t)$.
As a natural extension of Fan's paper (arXiv: 0903.1769vl [quant-ph]) by employing the formula of operators' Weyl ordering expansion and the bipartite entangled state representation we find new two-fold complex integration transformation about the Wigner operator (in its entangled form) in phase space quantum mechanics and its inverse transformation. In this way, some operator ordering problems can be solved and the contents of phase space quantum mechanics can be enriched.
A relativistic spin operator is to be the difference between the total and orbital angular momentum. As the unique position operator for a localized state, the remarkable Newton-Wigner position operator, which has all desirable commutation relations as a position operator, can give a proper spin operator. Historically important three spin operators respectively proposed by Bogolubov et al., Pryce, and Foldy-Woutheysen are investigated to manifest a corresponding spin operator to the Newton-Wigner position operator. We clarify a unique spin operator in relativistic quantum mechanics described b…
Drawing inspiration from Dirac's work on functions of non commuting observables, we develop a fresh approach to phase space descriptions of operators and the Wigner distribution in quantum mechanics. The construction presented here is marked by its economy, naturalness and more importantly, by its potential for extensions and generalisations to situations where the underlying configuration space is non Cartesian.
The extended Wigner's friend problem deals with two Observers each measuring a sealed laboratory in which a friend is making a quantum measurement. We investigate this problem by relying on the basic rules of quantum mechanics as exposed by Feynman in the well-known "Feynman Lectures on Physics". Although recent discussions have suggested that the extended Wigner's friend problem cannot consistently be described by quantum theory, we show here that a straightforward application of these standard rules results in a non-ambiguous and consistent account of the measurement outcomes for all agents …
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…
The Fermi g_F(x,p) function provides a phase space description of quantum mechanics conceptually different from that based on the the Wigner function W(x,p). In this paper, we show that for a peaked wave packet the g_F(x,p)=0 curve approximately corresponds to a phase space contour level of the Wigner function and provides a satisfactory description of the wave packet's size and shape. Our results show that the Fermi function is an interesting tool to investigate quantum fluctuations in the semiclassical regime.
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…
We examine the visualization of quantum mechanics in phase space by means of the Wigner function and the Wigner function flow as a complementary approach to illustrating quantum mechanics in configuration space by wave functions. The Wigner function formalism resembles the mathematical language of classical mechanics of non-interacting particles. Thus, it allows a more direct comparison between classical and quantum dynamical features.
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…
In this paper we construct the commutators of the Fedosov * (a generalization of the Moyal star product) on the phase space of S2. It is shown that this product obeys the standard angular momentum commutation relations in ordinary nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. The purpose of this paper is three-fold. One is to find an exact, non-perturbative solution to the commutators of the Fedosov *. The other is to verify that these commutation relations correspond to angular momentum commutation relations as in ordinary nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. The last is to show a more general computation…
We consider the problem of setting up the Wigner distribution for states of a quantum system whose configuration space is a Lie group. The basic properties of Wigner distributions in the familiar Cartesian case are systematically generalised to accommodate new features which arise when the configuration space changes from $n$-dimensional Euclidean space ${\cal R}^n$ to a Lie group $G$. The notion of canonical momentum is carefully analysed, and the meanings of marginal probability distributions and their recovery from the Wigner distribution are clarified. For the case of compact $G$ an explic…
In contrast to classical physics, the language of quantum mechanics involves operators and wave functions (or, more generally, density operators). However, in 1932, Wigner formulated quantum mechanics in terms of a distribution function $W(q,p)$, the marginals of which yield the correct quantum probabilities for $q$ and $p$ separately \cite{wigner}. Its usefulness stems from the fact that it provides a re-expression of quantum mechanics in terms of classical concepts so that quantum mechanical expectation values are now expressed as averages over phase-space distribution functions. In other wo…
Using operators' Weyl ordering expansion formula (Hong-yi Fan,\emph{\}J. Phys. A 25 (1992) 3443) we find new two-fold integration transformation about the Wigner operator $Δ(q',p')$ ($q$-number transform) in phase space quantum mechanics, \[ \iint_{-\infty}^\infty dp' dq'/πΔ(q',p') e^{-2i(p-p') (q-q')} =δ(p-P) δ(q-Q), \] and its inverse \[\iint_{-\infty}^\infty dq dp δ(p-P) δ(q-Q) e^{2i(p-p') (q-q')}=Δ(q',p'), \] where $Q,$ $P$ are the coordinate and momentum operators, respectively. We apply it to studying mutual converting formulas among $Q-P$ ordering, $P-Q$ ordering and Weyl ordering of op…
The purpose of this comment is to show that a reinterpretation of the results from the Letter: "Physics and Metaphysics of Wigner's Friends: Even performed pre-measurements have no results" allows for reaching the conclusion "pre-measurements have no resul" [arXiv:2003.07464] based only on postulates of quantum mechanics without additional assumptions on irreversibility. Additionally, with supplementary reasoning based on Bell's theorem, one can show that unitary decoherence cannot be solely responsible for the quantum-to-classical transition, and an additional irreversibility model is require…
The Wigner-Weyl isomorphism for quantum mechanics on a compact simple Lie group $G$ is developed in detail. Several New features are shown to arise which have no counterparts in the familiar Cartesian case. Notable among these is the notion of a `semiquantised phase space', a structure on which the Weyl symbols of operators turn out to be naturally defined and, figuratively speaking, located midway between the classical phase space $T^*G$ and the Hilbert space of square integrable functions on $G$. General expressions for the star product for Weyl symbols are presented and explicitly worked ou…
The uncertainty principle is the most important for the foundations of quantum mechanics but it still remains failed to reach a consensus of its interpretation, which gives rise to debates upon its physical nature. In this work, we address the problem of its foundation from a different aspect to present an alternative formulation for proving the uncertainty relations in a general way in terms of commutation relations and action function. The relationship between the de Broglie relation and the uncertainty principle is studied from a new angle. As a result, it is demonstrated that the de Brogli…
In quantum theory, symmetry has to be defined necessarily in terms of the family of unit rays, the state space. The theorem of Wigner asserts that a symmetry so defined at the level of rays can always be lifted into a linear unitary or an antilinear antiunitary operator acting on the underlying Hilbert space. We present a proof of this theorem which is both elementary and economical. Central to our proof is the recognition that a given Wigner symmetry can, by post-multiplication by a unitary symmetry, be taken into either the identity or complex conjugation. Our analysis involves a judicious i…
Two generalizations of Kempf's quadratic canonical commutation relation in one dimension are considered. The first one is the most general quadratic commutation relation. The corresponding nonzero minimal uncertainties in position and momentum are determined and the effect on the energy spectrum and eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator in an electric field is studied. The second extension is a function-dependent generalization of the simplest quadratic commutation relation with only a nonzero minimal uncertainty in position. Such an uncertainty now becomes dependent on the average positio…
We revisit Wigner's question about the admissible commutation relations for coordinate and velocity operators given their equations of motion (EOM). In more general terms we want to consider the question of how to quantize dynamically equivalent Hamiltonian structures. A unique answer can presumably be given in those cases, where we have a dynamical symmetry. In this case arbitrary deformations of the symmetry algebra should be dynamically equivalent. We illustrate this for the linear as well as the singular 1d-oscillator. In the case of nonlinear EOM quantum corrections have to be taken into …
"Wigner's friend" refers to a quantum process of which different observers, following the rules of quantum mechanics, give contradictory descriptions. Lostaglio and Bowles have recently claimed to describe a classical system showing the same effect. It is argued that this claim is not justified. it fails to take into account the different meanings of probability in classical and quantum mechanics.
We first review the usefulness of the Wigner distribution functions (WDF), associated with Lindblad and pre-master equations, for analyzing a host of problems in Quantum Optics where dissipation plays a major role, an arena where weak coupling and long-time approximations are valid. However, we also show their limitations for the discussion of decoherence, which is generally a short-time phenomenon with decay rates typically much smaller than typical dissipative decay rates. We discuss two approaches to the problem both of which use a quantum Langevin equation (QLE) as a starting-point: (a) us…
We construct the algebra of operators acting on the Hilbert spaces of Quantum Mechanics for systems of $N$ identical particles from the field operators acting in the Fock space of Quantum Field Theory by providing the explicit relation between the position and momentum operators acting in the former spaces and the field operators acting on the latter. This is done in the context of the non-interacting Klein-Gordon field. It may not be possible to extend the procedure to interacting field theories since it relies crucially on particle number conservation. We find it nevertheless important that …
Many theories of quantum gravity can be understood as imposing a minimum length scale the signatures of which can potentially be seen in precise table top experiments. In this work we inspect the capacity for correlated many body systems to probe non-classicalities of spacetime through modifications of the commutation relations. We find an analytic derivation of the dynamics for a single mode light field interacting with a single mechanical oscillator and with coupled oscillators to first order corrections to the commutation relations. Our solution is valid for any coupling function as we work…
The aim of this paper is to give a simple, geometric proof of Wigner's theorem on the realization of symmetries in quantum mechanics that clarifies its relation to projective geometry. Although several proofs exist already, it seems that the relevance of Wigner's theorem is not fully appreciated in general. It is Wigner's theorem which allows the use of linear realizations of symmetries and therefore guarantees that, in the end, quantum theory stays a linear theory. In the present paper, we take a strictly geometrical point of view in order to prove this theorem. It becomes apparent that Wigne…
A general argument is presented against relativistic, unitary, single-outcome quantum mechanics. This is achieved by combining the Wigner's Friend thought experiment with measurements on a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state, and describing the evolution of the quantum state in various inertial frames. Assuming unitary quantum mechanics and single outcomes, the result is that the Born rule must be violated in some inertial frame: in that frame, outcomes are obtained for which no corresponding term exists in the pre-measurement wavefunction.
A complete solution to the problem of setting up Wigner distribution for N-level quantum systems is presented. The scheme makes use of some of the ideas introduced by Dirac in the course of defining functions of noncommuting observables and works uniformly for all N. Further, the construction developed here has the virtue of being essentially input-free in that it merely requires finding a square root of a certain N^2 x N^2 complex symmetric matrix, a task which, as is shown, can always be accomplished analytically. As an illustration, the case of a single qubit is considered in some detail an…
The notion of measurements is central for many debates in quantum mechanics. One critical point is whether a measurement can be regarded as an absolute event, giving the same result for any observer in an irreversible manner. Using ideas from the gedankenexperiment of Wigner's friend it has been argued that, when combined with the assumptions of locality and no-superdeterminism, regarding a measurement as an absolute event is incompatible with the universal validity of quantum mechanics. We consider a weaker assumption: is the measurement event realised relatively to the observer when he only …
The paper scrutinizes both the similarities and the differences between the classical optics and quantum mechanical theories in phase space, especially between the Wigner distribution functions defined in the respective phase spaces. Classical optics is able to provide an understanding of either the corpuscular or wave aspects of quantum mechanics, reflected in phase space through the classical limit of the quantum Wigner distribution function or the Wigner distribution function in classical optics, respectively. However, classical optics, as any classical theory, cannot mimic the wave-particl…
In this short paper, the commutator of monomials of operators obeying constant commutation relations is expressed in terms of anticommutators. The formula involves Bernoulli numbers or Euler polynomials evaluated in zero. The role of Bernoulli numbers in quantum-mechanical identities such as the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula is emphasized and applications connected to ordering problems as well as to Ehrenfest theorem are proposed.
The Wigner's friend paradox concerns one of the most puzzling problems of quantum mechanics: the consistent description of multiple nested observers. Recently, a variation of Wigner's gedankenexperiment, introduced by Frauchiger and Renner, has lead to new debates about the self-consistency of quantum mechanics. At the core of the paradox lies the description of an observer and the object it measures as a closed system obeying the Schrödinger equation. We revisit this assumption to derive a necessary condition on a quantum system to behave as an observer. We then propose a simple single-photon…
The properties of an alternative definition of quantum entropy, based on Wigner functions, are discussed. Such definition emerges naturally from the Wigner representation of quantum mechanics, and can easily quantify the amount of entanglement of a quantum state. It is shown that smoothing of the Wigner function induces an increase in entropy. This fact is used to derive some simple rules to construct positive definite probability distributions which are also admissible Wigner functions
The relation of the Wigner function with the fair probability distribution called tomographic distribution or quantum tomogram associated with the quantum state is reviewed. The connection of the tomographic picture of quantum mechanics with the integral Radon transform of the Wigner quasidistribution is discussed. The Wigner--Moyal equation for the Wigner function is presented in the form of kinetic equation for the tomographic probability distribution both in quantum mechanics and in the classical limit of the Liouville equation. The calculation of moments of physical observables in terms of…
Classical and quantum mechanics across representations: an operational reading of the Wigner Weyl correspondence
University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics(维也纳大学物理学院);Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology(维也纳量子科学与技术中心);Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI), Austrian Academy of Sciences(奥地利科学院量子光学与量子信息研究所);Constructor University(Constructor大学);University of Geneva, Group of Applied Physics(日内瓦大学应用物理组)
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.
We propose six principles as the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics: principle of space and time, Galilean principle of relativity, Hamilton's principle, wave principle, probability principle, and principle of indestructibility and increatiblity of particles. We deductively develop the formalism of quantum mechanics on the basis of them: we determine the form of the Lagrangian that satisfies requirements of these principles, and obtain the Schroedinger equation from the Lagrangian. We also derive the canonical commutation relations. Then we adopt the following four guide lines. First,…
Uncertainty principle is the basis of quantum mechanics. It reflects the basic law of the movement of microscopic particles. Wigner-Yanase skew information, as a measure of quantum uncertainties, is used to characterize the intrinsic features of the state and the observable. In this paper, we mainly investigate the sum uncertainty relations for both quantum mechanical observables and quantum channels based on skew information. We establish a new uncertainty relation in terms of Wigner-Yanase skew information for $n$ observables, which is saturated (thus it holds as equality) for two incompatib…
In this second paper in a series, we show that the the general statistical approach to nonrelativistic quantum mechanics developed in the first paper yields a representation of quantum spin and magnetic moments based on classical nonrelativistic spinning top models, using Euler angle coordinates. The models allow half-odd-integer spin and predict supraluminal speeds only for electrons and other leptons, which must be treated relativistically. The spin operators in the space-fixed frame satisfy the usual commutation rules, while those in the rotating body-fixed frame satisfy "left-handed" rules…
Distinct from Bell's approach, Wigner had derived a form of local realist (LR) inequality which is quantum mechanically violated for a bipartite maximally entangled state. Subsequently, this approach was generalized to obtain a multipartite LR inequality. However, the violation of such generalised Wigner's inequality does not guarantee nonlocality between all possible different bipartitions of the multipartite system. In the present work, this limitation has been overcome by formulating a further generalisation of Wigner's approach through the derivation of a set of LR inequalities with respec…
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.
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.