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arXiv:0904.4439 · Physica Scripta

An introduction to the tomographic picture of quantum mechanics

Alberto Ibort, Vladimir I. Man’ko, Giuseppe Marmo, Alberto Simoni, F. Ventriglia

Published Jun 1, 2009• 262 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Starting from the famous Pauli problem on the possibility of associating quantum states with probabilities, the formulation of quantum mechanics in which quantum states are described by fair probability distributions (tomograms, i.e. tomographic probabilities) is reviewed in a pedagogical style. The relation between the quantum state description and the classical state description is elucidated. The difference between those sets of tomograms is described by inequalities equivalent to a complete set of uncertainty relations for the quantum domain and to non-negativity of probability density on phase space in the classical domain. The intersection of such sets is studied. The mathematical mechanism that allows us to construct different kinds of tomographic probabilities like symplectic tomograms, spin tomograms, photon number tomograms, etc is clarified and a connection with abstract Hilbert space properties is established. The superposition rule and uncertainty relations in terms of probabilities as well as quantum basic equations like quantum evolution and energy spectra equations are given in an explicit form. A method to check experimentally the uncertainty relations is suggested using optical tomograms. Entanglement phenomena and the connection with semigroups acting on simplexes are studied in detail for spin states in the case of two-qubits. The star-product formalism is associated with the tomographic probability formulation of quantum mechanics.

DOI
10.1088/0031-8949/79/06/065013

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Starting from the famous Pauli problem on the possibility of associating quantum states with probabilities, the formulation of quantum mechanics in which quantum states are described by fair probability distributions (tomograms, i.e. tomographic probabilities) is reviewed in a pedagogical style. The relation between the quantum state description and the classical state description is elucidated. The difference between those sets of tomograms is described by inequalities equivalent to a complete set of uncertainty relations for the quantum domain and to non-negativity of probability density on phase space in the classical domain. The intersection of such sets is studied. The mathematical mechanism that allows us to construct different kinds of tomographic probabilities like symplectic tomograms, spin tomograms, photon number tomograms, etc is clarified and a connection with abstract Hilbert space properties is established. The superposition rule and uncertainty relations in terms of probabilities as well as quantum basic equations like quantum evolution and energy spectra equations are given in an explicit form. A method to check experimentally the uncertainty relations is suggested using optical tomograms. Entanglement phenomena and the connection with semigroups acting on simplexes are studied in detail for spin states in the case of two-qubits. The star-product formalism is associated with the tomographic probability formulation of quantum mechanics.
We present a new formulation of conventional quantum mechanics, in which the notion of a quantum state is identified via a fair probability distribution of the position measured in a reference frame of the phase space with rotated axes. In this formulation, the quantum evolution equation as well as the equation for finding energy levels are expressed as linear equations for the probability distributions that determine the quantum states. We also give the integral transforms relating the probability distribution (called the tomographic-probability distribution or the state tomogram) to the density matrix and the Wigner function and discuss their connection with the Radon transform. Qudit states are considered and the invertible map of the state density operators onto the probability vectors is discussed. The tomographic entropies and entropic uncertainty relations are reviewed. We demonstrate the uncertainty relations for the position and momentum and the entropic uncertainty relations in the tomographic-probability representation, which is suitable for an experimental check of the uncertainty relations.
The relation of theWigner 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 integrals with the state tomographic probability distributions is constructed having a standard form of averaging in the probability theory. New uncertainty relations for the position and momentum are written in terms of optical tomograms suitable for directexperimental check. Some recent experiments on checking the uncertainty relations including the entropic uncertainty relations are discussed.
A review of the symplectic, optical tomography and photon number tomography is presented. Both the set of quantum states and the set of classical states described by symplectic tomographic probability distributions (tomograms) are studied, and it is shown that the sets have common part but there exist tomograms of classical states which are not admissible in quantum mechanics and, vica versa, there exist tomograms of quantum states which are not admissible in classical mechanics. Negative probabilities in classical and quantum mechanics corresponding to tomograms of classical and quantum states are compared with properties of nonpositive and nonnegative density operators, respectively.
A review of the symplectic, optical tomography and photon number tomography is presented. Both the set of quantum states and the set of classical states described by symplectic tomographic probability distributions (tomograms) are studied, and it is shown that the sets have common part but there exist tomograms of classical states which are not admissible in quantum mechanics and, vica versa, there exist tomograms of quantum states which are not admissible in classical mechanics. Negative probabilities in classical and quantum mechanics corresponding to tomograms of classical and quantum states are compared with properties of nonpositive and nonnegative density operators, respectively.
We review the probabilistic representation of quantum mechanics within which states are described by the probability distribution rather than by the wavefunction and density matrix. Uncertainty relations have been obtained in the form of integral inequalities containing measurable optical tomograms of quantum states. Formulas for the transition probabilities and purity parameter have been derived in terms of the tomographic probability distributions. Inequalities for Shannon and Rényi entropies associated with quantum tomograms have been obtained. A scheme of the star product of tomograms has been developed.
It is now well established that quantum tomography provides an alternative picture of quantum mechanics. It is common to introduce tomographic concepts starting with the Schrödinger–Dirac picture of quantum mechanics on Hilbert spaces. In this picture, states are a primary concept and observables are derived from them. On the other hand, the Heisenberg picture, which has evolved in the C ⋆ -algebraic approach to quantum mechanics, starts with the algebra of observables and introduces states as a derived concept. The equivalence between these two pictures amounts, essentially, to the Gelfand–Naimark–Segal construction. In this construction, the abstract C ⋆ -algebra is realized as an algebra of operators acting on a constructed Hilbert space. The representation that is defined may be reducible or irreducible, but in either case it allows us to identify a unitary group associated with the C ⋆ -algebra by means of its invertible elements. In this picture both states and observables are appropriate functions on the group; it also follows that quantum tomograms are strictly related with appropriate functions (positive-type) on the group. In this paper we present, using very simple examples, a tomographic description emerging from the set of ideas connected with the C ⋆ -algebra picture of quantum mechanics. In particular, we introduce the tomographic probability distributions for finite and compact groups, and formulate an autonomous criterion to recognize a given probability distribution as a tomogram of quantum state.