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arXiv:1009.4431

The Wigner Distribution

Robert F. O’Connell

Published Sep 22, 2010• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

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 words, statistical information is transferred from the density operator to a quasi-classical (distribution) function.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1009.4431

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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)W(q,p)W(q,p), the marginals of which yield the correct quantum probabilities for qqq and ppp 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 words, statistical information is transferred from the density operator to a quasi-classical (distribution) function.
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The objective of this thesis is to describe the fundamental concepts relating to the reformulation of quantum mechanics in phase space. It is assumed that the interested reader is familiar with the principles and techniques of ordinary quantum mechanics. In classical statistical mechanics the expectation values of physical quantities are calculated as averages over phase space distribution functions. It is possible to obtain a similar procedure in quantum mechanics. However, phase space is a classical concept and thus has no quantum mechanical equivalent, owing to the non-commutability of the operators p and q. A sensible basic requirement for the formulation of quantum mechanics in phase space is a linear one-one mapping between quantum operators and classical functions. This was achieved by the pioneering work of Weyl, Wigner and Moyal. The phase space that they devised we shall call "pseudo phase space". It is completely quantum. The pseudo phase space variables are represented by commuting c-numbers of momentum, p, and position, q; they are the result of applying the Weyl correspondence rule to the operators p and q, respectively. In some ways the pseudo phase space formulation of quantum mechanics appears to return us to an "almost" classical arena, since we dispense with the calculus of non-commuting operators for purely algebraic methods. The pseudo phase space formulation of quantum mechanics is self-contained. That is, there is no need, in principle, to switch to the Schroedinger or Heisenberg pictures when solving physical problems, although it may often be convenient to do so. The classical appearance of the pseudo phase space scheme is especially useful when considering the semi-classical limit of quantum mechanics. In fact, for potentials up to and including the harmonic oscillator the equations represent classical motion. The structure of the thesis is such that it takes the reader steadily through the major concepts of pseudo phase space theory. The mathematical techniques that shall be needed are developed early in Chapter 1. These are used throughout the thesis. This presents the advantage that the reader is not faced with learning new mathematical methods as the thesis proceeds. The pseudo phase space formulation of quantum mechanics as found applications in all areas of mathematical physics. Hence, there is a considerable amount of specialist literature available on the subject. Itis hoped that this thesis serves has an introduction.
Quantum phase‐space distributions offer a royal road into the fascinating quantum–classical interface; the Wigner function being the first and best example. However, the subject is frequent with subtleties and textbook‐level misinformation; e.g. “The Wigner distribution can give wrong answers for some operator expectation values” . Since the Wigner distribution is just another representation of the density matrix, it must yield correct answers. To that end, Marlan Scully has asked at several international conferences (the 2015 Prague conference being one of them) the following question: “Starting with the density matrix (not the Moyal characteristic function), could you give me a simple direct derivation of the Wigner distribution?” Section contains his answer. In Appendix D , we give a related treatment and make contact with other approaches. We hope that as a result of our studies, the Wigner distribution will become more deeply appreciated.
This thesis describes quantum mechanics in the phase space formulation. We introduce quantization and in particular the Weyl quantization. We study a general class of phase space distribution functions on phase space. The Wigner distribution function is one such distribution function. The Wigner distribution function in general attains negative values and thus can not be interpreted as a real probability density, as opposed to for example the Husimi distribution function. The Husimi distribution however does not yield the correct marginal distribution functions known from quantum mechanics. Properties of the Wigner and Husimi distribution function are studied to more extent. We calculate the Wigner and Husimi distribution function for the energy eigenstates of a particle trapped in a box. We then look at the semi classical limit for this example. The time evolution of Wigner functions are studied by making use of the Moyal bracket. The Moyal bracket and the Poisson bracket are compared in the classical limit. The phase space formulation of quantum mechanics has as advantage that classical concepts can be studied and compared to quantum mechanics. For certain quantum mechanical systems the time evolution of Wigner distribution functions becomes equivalent to the classical time evolution stated in the exact Egerov theorem. Another advantage of using Wigner functions is when one is interested in systems involving mixed states. A disadvantage of the phase space formulation is that for most problems it quickly loses its simplicity and becomes hard to calculate.
The language of statistical moments and covariance matrices we introduced in the previous chapter offers a compact and efficient formalism to deal with Gaussian states. A much more general approach may be taken to describe any quantum state in a setting which is reminiscent of classical phase space. This is the framework of quantum characteristic functions and quasi-probability distributions, which goes back to seminal work by Wigner on quantum corrections to classical statistical mechanics, and bloomed in the sixties with the rise of theoretical quantum optics and the emergence of a general unifying picture. Conceptually, the phase space description of quantum states hinges on the completeness of the set of displacement operators, which we shall prove in the form of the Fourier–Weyl relation between density matrices and characteristic functions. This relationship will constitute the bridge between phase space and Hilbert space descriptions, which will be useful in several applications in the context of quantum information. It will be convenient to handle most of the proofs and mathematical arguments concerning characteristic functions and quasi-probability distributions on a single mode of the system. Because displacement operators of multimode systems are just tensor products of local displacement operators, the extension of the formalism to systems with many degrees of freedom will be straightforward. Nevertheless, we shall always take care of explicitly linking the single-mode formulae which will appear in this chapter to the general multimode description adopted in the previous one.
A concise derivation of all uncertainty relations is given entirely within the context of phase-space quantization, without recourse to operator methods, to the direct use of Weyl’s correspondence, or to marginal distributions of x and p. Phase-space quantization is the third autonomous and logically complete formulation of quantum mechanics beyond the conventional ones based on operators in Hilbert space or path integrals [1, 2, 3]. It is free of operators and wavefunctions: observables and matrix elements are computed through phasespace integrals of c-number functions (“classical kernels”) weighted by a Wigner function (WF) [4, 3]. This is a phase-space distribution function which is not positive semi-definite, and constitutes the Weyl correspondent [5] of the density matrix in the conventional formulation, fmn(x,p) = 1 2π dye −iyp ψ ∗ m(x − � 2 y)ψn(x + � 2 y) = f ∗ nm(x,p). (1)