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arXiv:2301.09348

Digital representation of continuous observables in Quantum Mechanics

M. G. Ivanov, A. Yu. Polushkin

Published Jan 23, 2023• 1 citation
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Abstract

To simulate the quantum systems at classical or quantum computers, it is necessary to reduce continuous observables (e.g. coordinate and momentum or energy and time) to discrete ones. In this work we consider the continuous observables represented in the positional systems as a series of powers of the radix mulitplied over the summands (``digits``), which turn out to be Hermitean operators with discrete spectrum. We investigate the obtained quantum mechanical operators of digits, the commutation relations between them and the effects of choice of numeral system on the lattices and representations. Furthermore, during the construction of the digital representation renormalizations of diverging sums naturally occur.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2301.09348

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To simulate the quantum systems at classical or quantum computers, it is necessary to reduce continuous observables (e.g. coordinate and momentum or energy and time) to discrete ones. In this work we consider the continuous observables represented in the positional systems as a series of powers of the radix mulitplied over the summands (digits), which turn out to be Hermitean operators with discrete spectrum. We investigate the obtained quantum mechanical operators of digits, the commutation relations between them and the effects of choice of numeral system on the lattices and representations. Furthermore, during the construction of the digital representation renormalizations of diverging sums naturally occur.
To simulate quantum systems on classical or quantum computers, the continuous observables (e.g., coordinate and momentum or energy and time) must be reduced to discrete ones. In this paper, we consider the continuous observables represented in the positional systems as power series in the radix multiplied over the summands (“digits”), which turn out to be Hermitian operators with discrete spectrum. We investigate the obtained quantum mechanical operators of digits, the commutation relations between them, and the effects of the choice of a numeral system on lattices and representations. Renormalizations of diverging sums naturally occur in constructing the digital representation.
To simulate a quantum system with continuous degrees of freedom on a quantum computer based on quantum digits, it is necessary to reduce continuous observables (primarily coordinates and momenta) to discrete observables. We consider this problem based on expanding quantum observables in series in powers of two and three analogous to the binary and ternary representations of real numbers. The coefficients of the series (“digits”) a re, t herefore, Hermitian o perators. We investigate the corresponding quantum mechanical operators and the relations between them and show that the binary and ternary expansions of quantum observables automatically lead to renormalization of some divergent integrals and series (giving them finite values).
To simulate a quantum system with continuous degrees of freedom on a quantum computer based on qubits, it is necessary to reduce continuous observables (primarily coordinates and momenta) to binary observables. We consider this problem based on expanding quantum observables in series in powers of two, analogous to the binary representation of real numbers. The coefficients of the series (“digits”) are therefore orthogonal projectors. We investigate the corresponding quantum mechanical operators and the relations between them and show that the binary expansion of quantum observables automatically leads to renormalization of some divergent integrals and series (giving them finite values).
Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for a quantummechanical system to possess a coordinate system with respect to which its behaviour at discrete times is that of a universal digital computer. The form of the diagonal representation for the unitary time evolution operator for quantum universal computers is derived; aspects of the transformation between the diagonal representation and the computational representation are shown to be uncomputable. A quantum-mechanical treatment of macroscopic, dissipative computers is given.
Many selfadjoint operators important to physical applications, e.g., number operators and some first order and second order differential operators, possess a discrete spectrum. For a selfadjoint operator with a discrete spectrum the spectral function reduces to a sum in the form. An arbitrary symmetric operator does not possess a spectral function and the spectral theorem does not apply to such an operator. Hence the relation between selfadjoint operators and probability distributions presented above does not apply to symmetric operators. This is the reason that the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics is formulated in terms of selfadjoint operators, not symmetric operators. In the momentum representation the momentum appears as a multiplication operator in the same way that the position acts as a multiplication operator in the coordinate representation. It follows that we can treat the momentum in the momentum representation in the same way as position in the coordinate representation.
In this chapter we shall mainly present the basic formalism that was initially developed by Heisenberg, also known as matrix mechanics (see Subsec. 1.5.7). We will first introduce in Sec. 2.1 the concept of quantum observables. Then, the problem of discrete and continuous spectra will be discussed and the basic non-commutability of quantum-mechanical observables will be deduced. While in Sec. 2.1 we discuss observables on a general formal level, in Sec. 2.2 some basic quantum-mechanical observables will be defined, and then different representations discussed and commutation relations derived. In Sec. 2.3 a basic uncertainty relation is derived. In the same section the relationship between uncertainty, superposition, and complementarity will be discussed. Finally, in Sec. 2.4 complete subsets of commuting observables will be shown to be Boolean subalgebras pertaining to a quantum algebra which is not Boolean. BASIC FEATURES OF QUANTUM OBSERVABLES This section is devoted to a general and formal exposition of quantum observables. In Subsec. 2.1.1 we shall learn how one can mathematically represent quantum observables as Hermitian operators. In Subsec. 2.1.2 we shall see how to change a basis, while in Subsec. 2.1.3 we shall find the relationship between eigenvalues of the observables and probabilities and learn how to calculate mean values. In Subsec. 2.1.4 we shall deal with an operator diagonalization. Finally, in Subsec. 2.1.5, the basic non-commutability of quantum observables will be presented by means of an example.