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arXiv:1208.5969

The Symplectic Egg

Maurice A. de Gosson

Published Aug 29, 2012• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We invite the reader (presumably an upper level undergraduate student) to a journey leading from the continent of Classical Mechanics to the new territories of Quantum Mechanics. We'll be riding the symplectic camel and have William of Occam as travel companion, so no excess baggage is allowed. The first part of our trip takes us from the symplectic egg to Gromov's non-squeezing theorem and its dynamical interpretation. The second part leads us to a symplectic formulation of the quantum uncertainty principle, which opens the way to new discoveries.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1208.5969

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We invite the reader (presumably an upper level undergraduate student) to a journey leading from the continent of Classical Mechanics to the new territories of Quantum Mechanics. We'll be riding the symplectic camel and have William of Occam as travel companion, so no excess baggage is allowed. The first part of our trip takes us from the symplectic egg to Gromov's non-squeezing theorem and its dynamical interpretation. The second part leads us to a symplectic formulation of the quantum uncertainty principle, which opens the way to new discoveries.
Embarking on a journey into the realm of quantum mechanics can be a daunting task for anyone. Its puzzling mathematics and bewildering predictions often leave individuals feeling confused and disheartened. But what if there was a different approach — one aimed to cultivate an understanding of quantum mechanics from its very foundations? This is the ambition of this book. Rather than treating quantum mechanics as an inception, the author takes a Socratic perspective, tracing the genesis of its key ideas back to the well-established roots of classical mechanics. The works of Lagrange, Hamilton, and Poisson become guiding lights, illuminating the path towards comprehension. Through a colloquial yet pedagogical narrative, the book delves into the elements of classical mechanics, building a solid framework of familiarity that paves the way for comprehending quantum mechanics. Designed as a companion for undergraduates undertaking quantum mechanics modules in physics or chemistry, this book serves as an invaluable support. It equips learners with the essential knowledge necessary to grasp the foundations of quantum mechanics. As such, it proves equally beneficial for MSc and PhD scholars, and post-doctoral researchers. Its colloquial tone captivates the curiosity of any reader eager to delve into the mysteries of this enthralling field.
This introductory text on the basics of quantum mechanics is intended to serve as a kind of travel guide through the quantum world. It starts by asking whether quantum physics is important, or weird, or incomprehensible. It explains why particles sometimes behave like waves, and how uncertainty and randomness enter physics, before explaining a number of historically important experiments. Modern topics, like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and quantum computing are also covered. Essential concepts, such as the uncertainty principle, are analyzed in depth, employing a slightly increased dose of mathematics. This is the English version of the first part of a manual intended as a companion to the "Treffpunkt Quantenmechanik" (meeting point quantum mechanics), a laboratory at TU Dortmund University, where high-school students can get acquainted with the wonderful world of quantum physics. The second part of the manual contains detailed instructions for the individual experiments available in the lab and is not available on the Internet.
A positive de…nite symmetric matrix quali…es as a quantum mechanical covariance matrix if and only if + 12 i~ 0 where is the standard symplectic matrix. This well-known condition is a strong version of the uncertainty principle, which can be reinterpreted in terms of the topological notion of symplectic capacity, closely related to Gromov’s non-squeezing theorem. We show that a recent re…nement of the latter leads to a new class of geometric invariants. These are the volumes of the orthogonal projections of the covariance ellipsoid on symplectic subspaces of the phase space. We compare these geometric invariants to the algebraic “universal quantum invariants”of Dodonov and Sera…ni.
A positive definite symmetric matrix σ qualifies as a quantum mechanical covariance matrix if and only if σ+(1/2)i\hbarΩ\geq0 where Ω is the standard symplectic matrix. This well-known condition is a strong version of the uncertainty principle, which can be reinterpreted in terms of the topological notion of symplectic capacity, closely related to Gromov's non-squeezing theorem. We show that a recent refinement of the latter leads to a new class of geometric invariants. These are the volumes of the orthogonal projections of the covariance ellipsoid on symplectic subspaces of the phase space. We compare these geometric invariants to the algebraic "universal quantum invariants" of Dodonov and Serafini.
We study the classical and semiclassical time evolutions of subsystems of a Hamiltonian system; this is done using a generalization of Heller's thawed Gaussian approximation introduced by Littlejohn. The key tool in our study is an extension of Gromov's "principle of the symplectic camel" obtained in collaboration with N. Dias and J. Prata. This extension says that the orthogonal projection of a symplectic phase space ball on a phase space with a smaller dimension also contains a symplectic ball with the same radius. In the quantum case, the radii of these symplectic balls are taken equal to sqrt(h_bar) and represent ellipsoids of minimum uncertainty, which we have called "quantum blobs" in previous work.