Algebra of quantum mechanics via classical phonons. I: The Schrodinger equation as the Newtonian equation of motion and quantum observables as classical averages
Emmanuel Giner
quant-phmath-phSubmitted Jul 4, 2026• Announced Jul 7, 2026• 0 citations• Revised Aug 7, 2026 (v3)
The Schrodinger equation for a single spinless particle is formally obtained via a classical phonon model, namely the Frenkel-Kontorova model. Starting from a one-dimensional lattice of coupled harmonic oscillators, we show that the continuous limit of the corresponding Newtonian equation of motion yields the Klein-Gordon equation for a real-valued field. By introducing a complex-valued change of variables mixing the real-valued displacement and velocity fields, and by separating fast and slow time scales, the Klein-Gordon equation is written as the Schrodinger equation within the non-relativistic limit. This complex change of variable also allows to rewrite classical global observables of the phonon field, such as the total energy or momentum, as the corresponding quantum observables. Additionally, we show that when a friction force is incorporated into the classical model, the corresponding Klein-Gordon equation can be rewritten as a Schrodinger equation with a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. While the global approach is limited here to the non-relativistic regime and does not address the measurement problem, quantization or relativistic effects, it nonetheless illustrates how quantum algebra and complex-valued wave functions can be exactly reproduced using classical dynamics. The relativistic regime for a spinless particle and the link between commutators and Poisson brackets is addressed in the second part of this series.
The Schrodinger equation for a single spinless particle is formally obtained via a classical phonon model, namely the Frenkel-Kontorova model. Starting from a one-dimensional lattice of coupled harmonic oscillators, we show that the continuous limit of the corresponding Newtonian equation of motion yields the Klein-Gordon equation for a real-valued field. By introducing a complex-valued change of variables mixing the real-valued displacement and velocity fields, and by separating fast and slow time scales, the Klein-Gordon equation is written as the Schrodinger equation within the non-relativistic limit. This complex change of variable also allows to rewrite classical global observables of the phonon field, such as the total energy or momentum, as the corresponding quantum observables. Additionally, we show that when a friction force is incorporated into the classical model, the corresponding Klein-Gordon equation can be rewritten as a Schrodinger equation with a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. While the global approach is limited here to the non-relativistic regime and does not address the measurement problem, quantization or relativistic effects, it nonetheless illustrates how quantum algebra and complex-valued wave functions can be exactly reproduced using classical dynamics. The relativistic regime for a spinless particle and the link between commutators and Poisson brackets is addressed in the second part of this series.
In the first part of this series we have shown how the Schrodinger equation for a single particle and the corresponding non relativistic quantum observables can be obtained from a purely classical phonon model through the Newtonian equations of motion. In this work we focus instead on how the classical Hamiltonian formalism applied to the same phonon system allows to recover the feature of relativistic quantum mechanics for a single spinless particle. Using the classical nature of the phonon model, we naturally define continuous Poisson brackets between classical observables, which allows to recover the dynamics of such observables, i.e. the Ehrenfest relations associated to real-valued Klein-Gordon fields. The Poisson brackets also permits to obtain the generic form of constants of motions, thus generalizing the concept of inner products and momentum on Klein-Gordon fields. We then connect the formalism of real-valued classical functionals with that of hermitian operators and complex-valued wave functions. This is done through the introduction of a non-local complex-valued change of variables which allows to rewrite the real-valued Klein-Gordon equation in a form akin to the Schrodinger equation, and the classical observables as quantum expectation values. Then, we show how this change of variables allows to rewrite the classical Poisson brackets as commutators of hermitian operators. This points out the strict equivalence between the Heisenberg formalism and the formalism of classical Poisson bracket. Eventually, we illustrate how the Poisson brackets allows to recover the transformations of Poincare group in 1+1 dimension together with its algebra. The latter makes the link between the Lorentz invariant inner product of Mostafazadeh and the Casimir invariant associated to the mass of particle.
A new relativistic quantum wave equation has been derived by applying the quantum prescription to the momentum and the kinetic energy rather than to the momentum and the total energy, since after all it is the kinetic energy that generates the momentum. The resulting equation reduces to the Schrodinger equation in the nonrelativistic limit and to the Klein-Gordon equation for “massless particles” in the relativistic limit, i.e., if the velocity of the particle approaches that of light, c. For massive particles in general, the new equation deviates from the Klein-Gordon equation. The same equation is shown to decouple according to the Dirac formalism, yielding a modified form of Dirac equation. When applied to a rest particle, the modified Dirac equation is shown to avoid a negative energy solution and instead include a constant solution. The other, the time-dependent particle solution of the modified Dirac equation, has the characteristic frequency Mc2/(ћ/2) , i.e., twice those of the Dirac solutions, Mc2/ћ.
The time-dependent Schrodinger equation with time-independent Hamiltonian matrix is a homogeneous linear oscillatory system in canonical form. We investigate whether any classical system that itself is linear, homogeneous, oscillatory and conservative is guaranteed to linearly map into a Schrodinger equation. Such oscillatory classical systems can be analyzed into their normal modes, which are mutually independent, uncoupled simple harmonic oscillators, and the equation of motion of such a system linearly maps into a Schrodinger equation whose Hamiltonian matrix is diagonal, with h times the individual simple harmonic oscillator frequencies as its diagonal entries. Therefore if the coupling-strength matrix of such an oscillatory system is presented in symmetric, positive-definite form, the Hamiltonian matrix of the Schrodinger equation it maps into is h-bar times the square root of that coupling-strength matrix. We obtain a general expression for mapping this type of oscillatory classical equation of motion into a Schrodinger equation, and apply it to the real-valued classical Klein-Gordon equation and the source-free Maxwell equations, which results in relativistic Hamiltonian operators that are strictly compatible with the correspondence principle. Once such an oscillatory classical system has been mapped into a Schrodinger equation, it is automatically in canonical form, making second quantization of that Schrodinger equation a technically simple as well as a physically very interpretable way to quantize the original classical system.
The Klein-Gordon equation describes the wave-like behavior of spinless particles since it is Lorentz invariant. While it seemed initially ripe for explaining the electronic structure of the hydrogen atom, the lack of a unconditional positive probability density really limited its applications. Yet, it is intimately connected with fermions. Any solution to the Dirac equation is automatically a solution to the Klein-Gordon equation. What is even more surprising, the Klein-Gordon equation for a free particle turns into the Schrödinger equation in the non-relativistic limit. In this work we show that these problems disappear when we use the relativistic mass instead of the rest mass. While the Klein-Gordon equation losses its Lorentz invariance because of this transformation, it gains most of the features present the Schrödinger equation, including the unconditional positivity of probability density, while keeping most of its relativistic characteristics intact, including the matter-wave dispersion relation. What is even more surprising, the non-relativistic, quasi-static limit of the Klein-Gordon equation with relativistic mass is simply the Schrödinger equation under all possible conditions. So, it can be argued that this Klein-Gordon equation is a sort of relativistic Schrödinger equation.
The Eherenfest theorem states that Schrodinger representation of quantum mechanics (wave mechanics) reproduces Newton laws of motion in terms of expectation values. Remarkably, the contrary is considered elusive and, indeed, many authors have tried to obtain wave mechanics starting from other alternative frameworks of classical mechanics (for instance, Hamilton-Jacobi theory). Despite this common opinion, we present here a simple method to make Newtonian dynamics develop naturally into Schrodinger representation. The proof is based on the assumption of matter waves and is laid out in three fundamental steps. First, the role of classical density functions is underlined in view of their use to define constants of the motion for massive particles. Thanks to this preparatory step, density functions generate wave functions whose spatial and time variables obey Newton laws of motion. The resulting wave equation is defined in dependence on a parameter that plays the identical role of the constant K introduced by Schrodinger in the original formulation of his theory. In the final step, the classical wave equation is treated under the hypothesis of conservative forces common to the Eherenfest theorem and, after some algebra, the Schrodinger equation emerges by means of the identification of the classical momentum with de Broglie momentum of matter waves.
We derive the classical equations of hydrodynamic type (Euler equation and the continuity equation) from which the Schrodinger equation follows as a limit case. It is shown that the statistical ensemble corresponding to quantum system and described by the Schrodinger equation, can be considered as an inviscid gas obeying the ideal gas law with quickly oscillating sign-alternating temperature. This statistical ensemble performs the complex movements consisting of smooth average movement and fast oscillations. It is shown that average movements of statistical ensemble are described by Schrodinger equation. A model of quantum motion within the limits of classical mechanics which corresponds to the considered hydrodynamic system is suggested.