Motivated by the problems of interpretation of a nonlinear evolution equation in quantum mechanics we discuss in this contribution the concept of nonlinear gauge transformations, that has recently been introduced in joint work with Doebner and Goldin, in the framework of Mielnik's Generalized Quantum Mechanics. Using these gauge transformations we construct linear quantum systems in a ``nonlinear disguise'', and a gauge generalization of these (in analogy to the minimal coupling of orthodox quantum mechanics) leads to a unification of Bialynicki-Birula--Mycielski and Doebner--Goldin evolution equations for the quantum system. The notion of nonlinear observables introduced by Lücke is finally discussed in the same framework.
We comment on the work of Tai L Chow, Eur. J. Phys. 18, 467 (1997). By considering the Lagrangians which are uniquely defined only to within an additive total time derivative of a function of co-ordinates and time the author has tried to show that the gauge transformations which relate these Lagrangians are canonical transformations. He has obtained the right conclusion only by using wrong canonical equations and the entire exercise has hence become erroneous and inconclusive. By using the definition of canonical transformation through Poisson brackets we prove that the above gauge transformat…
Using the technique of finite field dependent BRST transformations we show that the classical massive Yang-Mills theory and the pure Yang-Mills theory whose gauge symmetry is broken by a gauge fixing term are identical from the view point of quantum gauge symmetry. The explicit infinitesimal transformations which leave the massive Yang-Mills theory BRST invariant are given.
The Schrödinger equation of a charged particle in a uniform electric field can be specified in either a time-independent or a time-dependent gauge. The wave-function solutions in these two gauges are related by a phase-factor reflecting the gauge symmetry of the problem. In this article we show that the effect of such a gauge transformation connecting the two wave-functions can be mimicked by the effect of two successive extended Galilean transformations connecting the two wave-function. An extended Galilean transformation connects two reference frames out of which one is accelerating with res…
We show that gauge transformations can be simulated on systems of ultracold atoms. We discuss observables that are invariant under these gauge transformations and compute them using a tensor network ansatz that escapes the phase problem. We determine that the Mott-insulator-to-superfluid critical point is monotonically shifted as the induced magnetic flux increases. This result is stable against the inclusion of a small amount of entanglement in the variational ansatz.
We investigate two methods of constructing a solution of the Schrödinger equation from the canonical transformation in classical mechanics. One method shows that we can formulate the solution of the Schrödinger equation from linear canonical transformations, the other focuses on the generating function which satisfies the Hamilton-Jacobi equation in classical mechanics. We also show that these two methods lead to the same solution of the Schrödinger equation.
We consider a general symplectic transformation (also known as linear canonical transformation) of quantum-mechanical observables in a quantized version of a finite-dimensional system with configuration space isomorphic to $ \mathbb{R}^{q} $. Using the formalism of rigged Hilbert spaces, we define eigenstates for all the observables. Then we work out the explicit form of the corresponding transformation of these eigenstates. A few examples are included at the end of the paper.
The Göppert-Mayer (GM) gauge transformation, of central importance in atomic, molecular, and optical physics since it connects the length gauge and the velocity gauge, becomes unphysical as the field frequency declines towards zero. This is not consequential for theories of transverse fields, but it is the underlying reason for the failure of gauge invariance in the dipole-approximation version of the Strong-Field Approximation (SFA). This failure of the GM gauge transformation explains why the length gauge is preferred in analytical approximation methods for fields that possess a constant ele…
This paper presents the general theory of canonical transformations of coordinates in quantum mechanics. First, the theory is developed in the formalism of phase space quantum mechanics. It is shown that by transforming a star-product, when passing to a new coordinate system, observables and states transform as in classical mechanics, i.e., by composing them with a transformation of coordinates. Then the developed formalism of coordinate transformations is transferred to a standard formulation of quantum mechanics. In addition, the developed theory is illustrated on examples of particular clas…
We introduce a new, more general type of nonlinear gauge transformation in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics that involves derivatives of the wave function and belongs to the class of Bäcklund transformations. These transformations satisfy certain reasonable, previously proposed requirements for gauge transformations. Their application to the Schrödinger equation results in higher order partial differential equations. As an example, we derive a general family of 6th-order nonlinear Schrödinger equations, closed under our nonlinear gauge group. We also introduce a new gauge invariant current ${…
The gauge invariance of the evolution equations of tomographic probability distribution functions of quantum particles in an electromagnetic field is illustrated. Explicit expressions for the transformations of ordinary tomograms of states under a gauge transformation of electromagnetic field potentials are obtained. Gauge-independent optical and symplectic tomographic quasi-distributions and tomographic probability distributions of states of quantum system are introduced, and their evolution equations having the Liouville equation in corresponding representations as the classical limit are fo…
We investigate certain invariance properties of quantum fluids subject to a nonlinear gauge potential. In particular, we derive the covariant transformation laws for the nonlinear potentials under a space-time Galilean boost and consider U(1) gauge transformations. We find that the hydrodynamic canonical field equations are form-invariant in the case of external gauge functions, but not for nonlinear gauge functionals. Hence, nonlinear gauge potentials are non-trivial potentials which may not be "gauged-away". Notably, for a 1D superfluid, attempting to do so generates the gauge-pressure of th…
Gauge transformation leaves the electric and the magnetic fields unchanged as long as the gauge function is treated classically. In this paper we consider the gauge transformation commonly used to obtain the electric dipole interaction Hamiltonian in a system of dipoles and the electromagnetic field (Goeppert-Mayer transformation) and treat the vector potential that appear in the gauge function as an operator. While it modifies the electric field, the static interaction between the dipoles is derived.
$p$-Mechanics is a consistent physical theory which describes both classical and quantum mechanics simultaneously through the representation theory of the Heisenberg group. In this paper we describe how non-linear canonical transformations affect $p$-mechanical observables and states. Using this we show how canonical transformations change a quantum mechanical system. We seek an operator on the set of $p$-mechanical observables which corresponds to the classical canonical transformation. In order to do this we derive a set of integral equations which when solved will give us the coherent state…
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.
New types of irreducible second order Darboux transformations for the one dimensional Schroedinger equation are described. The main feature of such transformations is that the transformation functions have the eigenvalues grater then the ground state energy of the initial (or reference) Hamiltonian. When such a transformation is presented as a chain of two first order transformations, an intermediate potential is singular and therefore intermediate Hamiltonian can not be Hermitian while the final potential is regular and the final Hamiltonian is Hermitian. Second derivative supersymmetric quan…
The relation between 3-cocycles arising in the Dirac monopole problem and nonassociative gauge transformations is studied. It is shown that nonassociative extension of the group U(1) allows to obtain a consistent theory of pointlike magnetic monopole with an arbitrary magnetic charge.
By using the multipolar gauge it is shown that the quantum mechanics of an electrically charged particle moving in a prescribed classical electromagnetic field (wave mechanics) may be expressed in a manner that is gauge invariant, except that the only gauge functions that are allowable in a gauge transformation are those that consist of the sum of a function that depends only on the space coordinates and a term that is the product of a constant and the time coordinate. The multipolar gauge specifies the specific set of potentials that are best suited for use in the Schroedinger equation.
We present a study on linear canonical transformation in the framework of a phase space representation of quantum mechanics that we have introduced in our previous work [1]. We begin with a brief recall about the so called phase space representation. We give the definition of linear canonical transformation with the transformation law of coordinate and momentum operators. We establish successively the transformation laws of mean values, dispersions, basis state and wave functions.Then we introduce the concept of isodispersion linear canonical transformation.
The aim of this paper is to introduce and analyze a new gauge symmetry that appears in complex holomorphic systems. This symmetry allow us to project the system, using different gauge conditions, to several real systems which are connect by gauge transformations in the complex space. We prove that the space of solutions of one system is related to the other by the gauge transformation. The gauge transformations are in some cases canonical transformations. However, in other cases are more general transformations that change the symplectic structure, but there is still a map between the systems.…
Invariants of nonlinear gauge transformations of a family of nonlinear Schrödinger equations proposed by Doebner and Goldin are used to characterize the behaviour of exact solutions of these equations.
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.
Relativistic spin 1/2, as represented by Susskind's 1977 discretization of the Dirac equation on a spatial lattice, is shown to follow from basic, not typically relativistic but essentially quantum theoretic assumptions: that position eigenstates propagate to nearest neighbours while respecting lattice symmetries modulo gauge transformations.
We characterize point transformations in quantum mechanics from the mathematical viewpoint. To conclude that the canonical variables given by each point transformation in quantum mechanics correctly describe the extended point transformation, we show that they are all selfadjoint operators in $L^2(\mathbb{R}^n)$ and that the continuous spectrum of each coincides with $\mathbb{R}$. They are also shown to satisfy the canonical commutation relations.
We revisit the properties of qubits under Lorentz transformations and, by considering Lorentz invariant quantum states in the Heisenberg formulation, clarify some misleading notation that has appeared in the literature on relativistic quantum information theory. We then use this formulation to consider the transformation properties of qubits and density matrices under space-time and gauge transformations. Finally we use our results to understand the behaviour of entanglement between different partitions of quantum systems. Our approach not only clarifies the notation, but provides a more intui…
We are taught that gauge transformations in classical and quantum mechanics do not change the physics of the problem. Nevertheless here we discuss three broad scenarios where under gauge transformations: (i) conservation laws are not preserved in the usual manner; (ii) non-gauge-invariant quantities can be associated with physical observables; and (iii) there are changes in the physical boundary conditions of the wave function that render it non-single-valued. We give worked examples that illustrate these points, in contrast to general opinions from classic texts. We also give a historical per…
We show that the supersymmetric algebra of Witten's quantum mechanics is invariant under a given point canonical transformation. It is shown that Witten's supersymmetric quantum mechanics can be isospectral or not to the seed Hamiltonian depending on the space coordinate you work on. We illustrate our results by generating a new class of exactly solvable supersymmetric partner Hamiltonians which are not isospectral to the seed Hamiltonian.
Fourier and fractional-Fourier transformations are widely used in theoretical physics. In this paper we make quantum perspectives and generalization for the fractional Fourier transformation (FrFT). By virtue of quantum mechanical representation transformation and the method of integration within normal ordered product (IWOP) of operators, we find the key point for composing FrFT, and reveal the structure of FrFT. Following this procedure, a full family of generalized fractional transformations are discovered with the usual FrFT as one special case. The eigen-functions of arbitrary GFrT are de…
Canonical transformations using the idea of quantum generating functions are applied to construct a quantum Hamilton-Jacobi theory, based on the analogy with the classical case. An operator and a c-number forms of the time-dependent quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation are derived and used to find dynamical solutions of quantum problems. The phase-space picture of quantum mechanics is discussed in connection with the present theory.
Beginning with ordinary quantum mechanics for spinless particles, together with the hypothesis that all experimental measurements consist of positional measurements at different times, we characterize directly a class of nonlinear quantum theories physically equivalent to linear quantum mechanics through nonlinear gauge transformations. We show that under two physically-motivated assumptions, these transformations are uniquely determined: they are exactly the group of time-dependent, nonlinear gauge transformations introduced previously for a family of nonlinear Schrödinger equations. The gene…
In this paper we review a proposed geometrical formulation of quantum mechanics. We argue that this geometrization makes available mathematical methods from classical mechanics to the quantum frame work. We apply this formulation to the study of separability and entanglement for states of composite quantum systems.
We comment that the conditionally exactly solvable potential of Dutt et al. and the exactly solvable potential from which it is derived form a dual system.
Following our recent study [P.Yu. Moshin, A.A. Reshetnyak, Nucl. Phys. B 888 (2014) 92], we discuss the notion of finite BRST-antiBRST transformations, with a doublet $λ_{a}$, $a=1,2$, of anticommuting (both global and field-dependent) Grassmann parameters. It turns out that the global finite BRST-antiBRST transformations form a 2-parametric Abelian supergroup. We find an explicit Jacobian corresponding to this change of variables in the theories with a gauge group. Special field-dependent BRST-antiBRST transformations for the Yang--Mills path integral with $s_{a}$-potential (functionally-depe…
In the present contribution we consider a class of Schroedinger equations containing complex nonlinearities, describing systems with conserved norm $|ψ|^2$ and minimally coupled to an abelian gauge field. We introduce a nonlinear transformation which permits the linearization of the source term in the evolution equations for the gauge field, and transforms the nonlinear Schroedinger equations in another one with real nonlinearities. We show that this transformation can be performed either on the gauge field $A_μ$ or, equivalently, on the matter field $ψ$. Since the transformation does not chan…
We study admissible boundary conditions for a charged quantum particle in a two-dimensional region subjected to an external magnetic field, i.e. a quantum magnetic billiard. After reviewing some physically interesting classes of admissible boundary conditions (magnetic Robin and chiral boundary conditions), we turn our attention to the role of gauge transformations in a magnetic billiard: in particular, we introduce gauge covariant boundary conditions, and find a sufficient condition for gauge covariance which is satisfied by all the aforementioned examples.
For classical canonical transformations, one can, using the Wigner transformation, pass from their representation in Hilbert space to a kernel in phase space. In this paper it will be discussed how the time-dependence of the uncertainties of the corresponding time-dependent quantum problems can be incorporated into this formalism.
Based on the concept of ensemble, it is proved in the manuscript that the probability amplitude function can also been used to describe the classical statistical system. The motion equations of probability amplitude functions of classical statistical system are obtained, which are similar to that in quantum mechanics. It is also proved in the meantime that microsystems that obey quantum mechanics can also be described in the forms of classical statistical mechanics and deterministic classical mechanics. The quantum revised formula of classical interaction force and the revised Liouville's equa…
