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arXiv:2306.01131 · Theoretical Aspects of Rationality and Knowledge

Foundations of non-commutative probability theory

Daniel J. Lehmann

Published Jul 6, 2009• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Kolmogorov's setting for probability theory is given an original generalization to account for probabilities arising from Quantum Mechanics. The sample space has a central role in this presentation and random variables, i.e., observables, are defined in a natural way. The mystery presented by the algebraic equations satisfied by (non-commuting) observables that cannot be observed in the same states is elucidated.

DOI
10.1145/1562814.1562841

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Kolmogorov's setting for probability theory is given an original generalization to account for probabilities arising from Quantum Mechanics. The sample space has a central role in this presentation and random variables, i.e., observables, are defined in a natural way. The mystery presented by the algebraic equations satisfied by (non-commuting) observables that cannot be observed in the same states is elucidated.
This paper explores the limitations of Kolmogorov's measure-theoretic foundation of probability in the context of quantum mechanics and proposes an extension towards a non-commutative framework. We delve into the mathematical structures underlying quantum probability spaces, focusing on operator algebras and their associated states. We analyze the challenges in defining joint probabilities for non-commuting observables and present an overview of alternative approaches based on operator algebras, quantum logic, and non-commutative integration. Furthermore, we investigate the applications of non-commutative measure theory in quantum information theory, quantum field theory, and the foundations of quantum mechanics, highlighting the potential for a more comprehensive understanding of probabilistic phenomena in quantum systems.
A central feature of quantum mechanics is the non-commutativity of operators used to describe physical observables. In this article, we present a critical analysis on the role of non-commutativity in quantum theory, focusing on its consequences in the probabilistic description. Typically, a random phenomenon is described using the measure-theoretic formulation of probability theory. Such a description can also be done using algebraic methods, which are capable to deal with non-commutative random variables (like in quantum mechanics). Here we propose a method to construct a non-commutative probability theory starting from an ordinary measure-theoretic description of probability. This will be done using the entropic uncertainty relations between random variables, in order to evaluate the presence of non-commutativity in their algebraic description.
Kolmogorov's foundation of probability takes measure spaces, σσσ-algebras, and probability measures as basic objects. It is, however, widely recognized that this classical framework is inadequate for random phenomena involving quantum effects, and more generally for \emph{quantum-like} situations. A broader formulation is provided by an algebraic viewpoint: one starts from an algebra of random variables equipped with a distinguished linear functional -- the \emph{state} -- interpreted as expectation. In this sense, the approach can also be viewed as a modern reading of ideas already implicit in early probability (e.g., the Bernoullis), while its contemporary form has been developed and used extensively in quantum physics. The algebraic framework accommodates both classical and quantum-like behaviours, yet it remains underused in classical probability and uncertainty quantification, where it can nevertheless open new perspectives and clarify structural features. Although the language carries a physics flavor, the subject is purely probabilistic. The key distinction between classical and quantum-like behaviour is \emph{commutativity}: its failure produces the characteristic effects of quantum-like situations. The rise of quantum computing is a prominent setting in which such behaviour may become relevant even for practitioners in computational science. Here we focus on the purely algebraic core of the approach. By restricting attention to finite-dimensional algebras, we avoid many analytical subtleties while retaining the main ideas, their classical limit, and their applicability to quantum-like models and quantum computation.
The thesis is about the peculiar probabilistic structure of quantum mechanics. Typically, a random phenomenon is described using the measure-theoretic formulation of probability theory. Such a description can also be done using algebraic methods, which are capable to deal with non-commutative random variables. A central feature of quantum mechanics is the non-commutativity of operators used to describe physical observables. A method to construct a non-commutative probability theory starting from an ordinary measure-theoretic description of probability is proposed and applied to a series of model to reobtain the quantum behaviour od a particle. In particular, using ordinary probability theory, the kinematics of a point-like particle jumping at random over a discrete random space is studied. 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. Using a suitable random process for the space one is able to recover non-relativistic quantum mechanics in a suitable limit.
Abstract By formulating the axioms of quantum mechanics, von Neumann also laid the foundations of a “quantum probability theory”. As such, it is regarded a generalization of the “classical probability theory” due to Kolmogorov. Outside of quantum physics, however, Kolmogorov’s axioms enjoy universal applicability. This raises the question of whether quantum physics indeed requires such a generalization of our conception of probability or if von Neumann’s axiomatization of quantum mechanics was contingent on the absence of a general theory of probability in the 1920s. This work argues in favor of the latter position. In particular, it shows how to construct a mathematically rigorous theory for non-relativistic N -body quantum systems subject to a time-independent scalar potential, which is based on Kolmogorov’s axioms and physically natural random variables. Though this theory is provably distinct from its quantum-mechanical analog, it nonetheless reproduces central predictions of the latter. Further work may make an empirical comparison possible. Moreover, the approach can in principle be adapted to other classes of quantum-mechanical models. Part II of this series discusses the empirical violation of Bell inequalities in the context of this approach. Part III addresses the projection postulate and the question of measurement.
We introduce a new mathematical framework for the probabilistic description of an experiment upon a system of any type in terms of initial information representing this system. Based on the notions of an information state, an information state space and a generalized observable, this general framework covers the description of a wide range of experimental situations including those where, with respect to a system, an experiment is perturbing. We prove that, to any experiment upon a system, there corresponds a unique generalized observable on a system initial information state space, which defines the probability distribution of outcomes under this experiment. We specify the case where initial information on a system provides "no knowledge" for the description of an experiment. Incorporating in a uniform way the basic notions of conventional probability theory and the non-commutativity aspects and the basic notions of quantum measurement theory, our framework clarifies the principle difference between Kolmogorov's model in probability theory and the statistical model of quantum theory. Both models are included into our framework as particular cases. We show that the phenomenon of "reduction" of a system initial information state is inherent, in general, to any non-destructive experiment and upon a system of any type. Based on our general framework, we introduce the probabilistic model for the description of non-destructive experiments upon a quantum system and prove that positive bounded linear mappings on the Banach space of trace class operators, arising in the description of experiments upon a quantum system, are completely positive.