Abstract We present a variational approach which shows that the wave functions belonging to quantum systems in different potential landscapes, are pairwise linked to each other through a generalized continuity equation. This equation contains a source term proportional to the potential difference. In case the potential landscapes are related by a linear symmetry transformation in a finite domain of the embedding space, the derived continuity equation leads to generalized currents which are divergence free within this spatial domain. In a single spatial dimension these generalized currents are invariant. In contrast to the standard continuity equation, originating from the abelian -phase symmetry of the standard Lagrangian, the generalized continuity equations derived here, are based on a non-abelian -transformation of a super-Lagrangian. Our approach not only provides a rigorous theoretical framework to study quantum mechanical systems in potential landscapes possessing local symmetries, but it also reveals a general duality between quantum states corresponding to different Schrödinger problems.
Abstract We present a variational approach which shows that the wave functions belonging to quantum systems in different potential landscapes, are pairwise linked to each other through a generalized continuity equation. This equation contains a source term proportional to the potential difference. In case the potential landscapes are related by a linear symmetry transformation in a finite domain of the embedding space, the derived continuity equation leads to generalized currents which are divergence free within this spatial domain. In a single spatial dimension these generalized currents are invariant. In contrast to the standard continuity equation, originating from the abelian -phase symmetry of the standard Lagrangian, the generalized continuity equations derived here, are based on a non-abelian -transformation of a super-Lagrangian. Our approach not only provides a rigorous theoretical framework to study quantum mechanical systems in potential landscapes possessing local symmetries, but it also reveals a general duality between quantum states corresponding to different Schrödinger problems.
A variational scheme for the derivation of generalized, symmetry-induced continuity equations for Hermitian and non-Hermitian quantum mechanical systems is developed. We introduce a Lagrangian which involves two complex wave fields and whose global invariance under dilation and phase variations leads to a mixed continuity equation for the two fields. In combination with discrete spatial symmetries of the underlying Hamiltonian, the mixed continuity equation is shown to produce bilocal conservation laws for a single field. This leads to generalized conserved charges for vanishing boundary currents and to divergenceless bilocal currents for stationary states. The formalism reproduces the bilocal continuity equation obtained in the special case of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics and paraxial optics.
The concept of the generalized continuity equation (GCE) was recently introduced in [J. Phys. A: Math. and Theor. {\bf 52}, 1552034 (2019)], and was derived in the context of N independent Schrödinger systems. The GCE is induced by a symmetry transformation which mixes the states of these systems, even though the N-system Lagrangian does not. As the N-system Schrödinger Lagrangian is not invariant under such a transformation, the GCE will involve source terms which, under certain conditions vanish and lead to conserved currents. These conditions may hold globally or locally in a finite domain, leading to globally or locally conserved currents, respectively. In this work, we extend this idea to the case of arbitrary SU(N)-transformations and we show that a similar GCE emerges for N systems in the Dirac dynamics framework. The emerging GCEs and the conditions which lead to the attendant conservation laws provide a rich phenomenology and potential use for the preparation and control of fermionic states.
In a previous article in this series [E. M. Corson, J. Math. Phys. 4, 42(1963); herein referred to as I], we showed that a new variational principle, of Lagrangian structure, includes Hamilton's principle as a unique derived consequent and encompasses both the classical and quantal definitions of ``state'' and the corresponding Lagrangian and Schrödinger equations of motion, respectively. In this theory, the essential difference between classical and quantal domains was shown to arise solely from the superadded postulates of determinism vs indeterminism; other than this, the two basic postulates may be reduced to (a) Newton's equations and (b) the new variation principle. It was shown that in the quantal domain, Schrödinger's equations obtain for the transition amplitudes (propagators) between pure eigenstates of homologous variables in configuration space, at different times, thus clearly implying all the results of conventional Hamiltonian-operator quantum formalism. In the present article we show that our variational formulation, under the familiar classical canonical transformation to momentum space, also automatically leads to the corresponding Schrödinger equations for the transition amplitudes between pure eigenstates of homologous variables in momentum space, at different times, the unitarity of the formalism and the reciprocal Fourier integral relations between coordinate and momentum representations. Thus we bridge a long-standing gap in theory and derive, uniquely and apparently for the first time, the basic quantum commutators (P.B.'s) which are postulated in the more familiar Hamiltonian theory.
This work develops a Lorentz-invariant variational framework in which Fisher-information geometry appears as an intrinsic structural contribution to quantum dynamics. Motivated by longstanding attempts to connect quantum mechanics with information-theoretic principles, we introduce an action functional depending on the density and phase fields in the Madelung representation. Variation of this action yields a modified Klein–Gordon equation containing a single nonlinear term proportional to the four-dimensional Fisher-information curvature of the probability density. The standard Klein–Gordon equation is recovered when the structural parameter vanishes, ensuring full compatibility with established relativistic dynamics. Taking the nonrelativistic limit, we obtain a uniquely determined nonlinear Schrödinger equation in which the correction term is the functional derivative of the Fisher information. The resulting dynamics preserve probability, maintain the Hamilton–Jacobi correspondence, and contain the linear Schrödinger equation as a special case. Analytical expressions for Gaussian and superposed states demonstrate how the structural modification scales with spatial localization and interference structure, providing clear qualitative signatures that distinguish the model from previous nonlinear extensions and offer a theoretical basis for future experimental verification. The results establish a mathematically transparent link between information geometry and quantum dynamics and provide a foundation for future extensions to fermionic, gauge, and many-body systems.
We introduce a class of non-local Lagrangians which allow for the variational derivation of non-local conser- vation laws in a self-consistent manner. The formalism developed here generalizes previous approaches, used in the context of PT symmetric quantum mechanics and optics in the paraxial approximation in a twofold way: firstly it is valid for a larger set of linear symmetry transforms and secondly it enables the derivation of additional non-local conservation laws for general higher dimensional wave mechanical systems.
The symmetry properties of quantum variational principles are considered. Euler-Poincaré reduction theory is applied to the Dirac-Frenkel variational principle for Schrödinger's dynamics producing new variational principles for the different pictures of quantum mechanics (Schrödinger's, Heisenberg's and Dirac's) as well as for the Wigner-Moyal formulation. In addition, new variational principles for mixed states dynamics have been formulated. The already known geometric characterization of quantum mechanics on the complex projective space is shown to emerge naturally from the Euler-Poincaré variational principle. Semidirect-product structures are seen to produce new variational principles for Dirac's picture. \n \nOn the other hand, the variational and Hamiltonian approach to Ehrenfest expectation values dynamics is proposed. In the Lagrangian framework, the quantum variational principle for Schrödinger's dynamics is extended to account for both classical and quantum degrees of freedom. First, it is shown that the mean field model of any quantum mechanical system can be derived from a classical-quantum Euler-Poincaré Lagrangian on the direct sum Lie algebra of the Heisenberg and unitary groups. Then, the semidirect-product structure (named Ehrenfest group), is constructed using the displacement operator from the theory of coherent quantum states ( the unitary action of the Heisenberg group on the space of wavefunctions). New classical-quantum equations for Ehrenfest's expectation values dynamics are derived redefining the mean-field model Euler-Poincaré Lagrangian on the Lie algebra of the Ehrenfest group. In the Hamiltonian framework, first expectation values of the canonical observables are shown to be equivariant momentum maps for the unitary action of the Heisenberg group on quantum states. Then, the Hamiltonian structure for Ehrenfest's dynamics is shown to be Lie-Poisson for the Ehrenfest group. The variational formulation is then given a corresponding Hamiltonian structure. The classical-quantum Ehrenfest dynamics equations produce classical and quantum dynamics as special limit cases. \n \nIn the particular case of Gaussian states, expectation values couple to second order moments, so that GS are completely characterized by first and second moments. When the total energy is computed with respect to a Gaussian state, higher moments can be expressed in terms of the first two, so that the moment hierarchy closes for Gaussian states. Second moments are shown to be equivariant momentum maps for the action of the symplectic group on the space of Wigner functions. Eventually, Gaussian states are shown to possess a Lie-Poisson structure on the Jacobi group. This structure produces an energy-conserving variant of a class of Gaussian moment models that have appeared in the chemical physics literature.