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arXiv:1409.5255

Interpretation of the classical limits of quantum mechanics on a non-commutative configuration space

Fabio Benatti, Laure Gouba

Published Sep 18, 2014• 1 citation
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Abstract

The classical limit of two quantum mechanical oscillators on a non-commutative configuration space has been recently studied based on the anti-Wick quantization scheme which makes use of completely positive maps constructed by means of coherent states. The limits corresponding to the removal of configuration-space non-commutativity and position-momentum non-commutativity do not commute. While reducing to a commutative configuration-space and then to classical position and momentum yields a classical theory on a $4$-dimensional phase-space, the inverted sequence of limits does instead provide a classical theory on a $2$-dimensional phase-space. Moreover, if the free dynamics of the two non-commutative quantum oscillators is also taken into account, in the first case one again obtains the dynamics of two classical free oscillators dynamics; instead, in the second case, one loses completely track of the dynamics and reduces to a purely kinematical $1$-dimensional description. We herewith explain these results by examining the fate of the phase-space localisation properties of the Wigner functions of coherent states under the various limits.

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The classical limit of two quantum mechanical oscillators on a non-commutative configuration space has been recently studied based on the anti-Wick quantization scheme which makes use of completely positive maps constructed by means of coherent states. The limits corresponding to the removal of configuration-space non-commutativity and position-momentum non-commutativity do not commute. While reducing to a commutative configuration-space and then to classical position and momentum yields a classical theory on a 444-dimensional phase-space, the inverted sequence of limits does instead provide a classical theory on a 222-dimensional phase-space. Moreover, if the free dynamics of the two non-commutative quantum oscillators is also taken into account, in the first case one again obtains the dynamics of two classical free oscillators dynamics; instead, in the second case, one loses completely track of the dynamics and reduces to a purely kinematical 111-dimensional description. We herewith explain these results by examining the fate of the phase-space localisation properties of the Wigner functions of coherent states under the various limits.
This work concerns the finding of the semi-classical form of the coherent state representation for the class of quantum baker’s maps defined by Schack and Caves. It begins by introducing the finite-dimensional Hilbert space on which the quantum baker’s map is defined. Its pertinent features including the all important symmetry operators are introduced and given a full explanation. We also introduce the finite-dimensional phase space which will give the semi-classical limit a geometrical interpretation. For a D dimensional Hilbert space, the finite-dimensional phase space is found to be a grid with D2 points. Each point corresponds to a particular pair of position and momentum displacement operator eigenphases. We then detail the derivation of the finite-dimension version of the Wigner function, a quasi-distribution for the finite-dimensional phase space. We show that its most “irregular” feature, mainly its property of having more values than was thought necessary, can be explained by its correct behavior under the symmetry operations, a feature lacking in other Wigner candidates. However, even this special choice for the Wigner function proves unusable in the semi-classical limit as it is found to have a non-convergent limit. We then turn to another possible phase space function: the Q-function. It being necessary to find a suitable coherent state for the finite-dimensional Hilbert space, we begin by studying the properties of the periodically continued Gaussian states. These are the typical Weyl coherent states made periodic in both position and momentum such as to make them legitimate finite-dimensional states. Developing certain mathematical techniques allows us to show that they have compatible position and momentum representations, that a subset of them are complete and can be used to define a Q-function, and that this function obeys all of the symmetry properties. Finally, we use these coherent states to find a representation for the propagator of the quantum baker’s map. In the semi-classical limit, i.e. the large dimension limit, this representation is found, for most of the maps, to take a form of the exponentiation of the classical map’s generating function. This form was predicted long ago by Van Vleck as indicator of an operator’s classical limit. Therefore, we assert that these maps limit to the classically chaotic baker’s map. In certain limiting schemes, however, the Schack-Caves maps do not reach this form and must be given a different interpretation.
The Wigner problem, i.e. the investigation of general quantum mechanical commutation relations consistent with the Heisenberg evolution equations of a given shape, is studied. We follow a recently proposed generalization of this idea within which the classical analogy is postulated only for the shape of the time evolution equations and not for a Hamiltonian itself. This links our investigation to the problem of alternative Hamiltonians of classical mechanics and to canonically inequivalent phase-space descriptions of physical systems governed by the same Newton equations of motion. Warned that the time evolution and the other symmetry generators may be given ambiguously even in the formalism of classical mechanics, we do not a priori assume the shape of their quantum analogues. Instead we only require that the set of basic algebraic relations, which quantum mechanical observables are to obey, has a Lie algebra structure. Such a requirement appears to be sufficient to find solutions for simple oscillator-like dynamics. New algebras of quantum mechanical observables are not constructed as a linear envelope of the Heisenberg algebra, and their representations reflect physical results unexpected in the framework of the canonical approach. We illustrate our approach in detail for the example of the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator using the representation of the generalized coherent states.
The physical world is quantum. However, our description of the quantum physics still relies much on concepts in classical physics and in some cases with 'quantized' interpretations. The most important case example is that of spacetime. We examine the picture of the physical space as described by simple, so-called non-relativisitic, quantum mechanics instead of assuming the Newtonian model. The key perspective is that of (relativity) symmetry representation, and the idea that the physical space is to be identified as the configuration space for a free particle. Parallel to the case of the phase space, we have a model of the quantum physical space which reduces to the Newtonian classical model under the classical limit. The latter is to be obtained as a contraction limit of the relativity symmetry.
In this article, we continue our investigation on the role of non-commutativity in quantum theory. Using the method explained in "On non-commutativity in quantum theory (I): from classical to quantum probability", we analyze two toy models which exhibit non-commutativity between the corresponding position and velocity random variables. In particular, using ordinary probability theory, we study the kinematics of a point-like particle jumping at random over a discrete random space. We show that, after the removal of the random space from the model, the position and velocity of the particle do not commute, when represented as operators on the same Hilbert space.
It is well known from the work of Berezin [24] (Commun. Math. Phys. 40:153–174, 1975) in 1975 that the quantization problem of a classical mechanical system is closely related with coherent states. In particular coherent states help to understand the limiting behaviour of a quantum system when the Planck constant ℏ\hbar ℏ becomes negligible in macroscopic units. This problem is called the semi-classical limit problem. In this chapter we discuss properties of quantum systems when the configuration space is the Euclidean space Rn\mathbb R^nRn. So that in the Hamiltonian formalism, the phase space is Rn×Rn\mathbb R^n\times \mathbb R^nRn×Rn with its canonical symplectic form σ\sigma σ. The quantization problem has many solutions, so we choose a convient one, introduced by Weyl [259] (The Classical Groups, 1997) and Wigner [261] (Group Theory and Its Applications to Quantum Mechanics of Atomic Spectra, 1959). We study the symmetries of Weyl quantization, the operationnal calculus and applications to propagation of observables. We show that Wick quantization is a natural bridge between Weyl quantization and coherent states. Applications are given to the semi-classical limit after introducing an efficient modern tool: the semi-classical measures. We illustrate the general results proved in this chapter by explicit computations for the harmonic oscillator. More applications will be given in the following chapters, in particular concerning propagators and trace formulas for a large class of quantum systems.