We define multiplication and convolution of distributions and ultradistributions by introducing the notions of evaluation of distributions and integration of ultradistributions. An application is made to an interpretation of the Dirac formalism of quantum mechanics. The role of the Hilbert space of states is played by what is termed a Hermitian orthonormal system, and operators are replaced by the generalized matrices. We describe a simple example of one dimensional free particle and construct explicitly a representation of the Weyl algebra as the generalized matrices.
We define multiplication and convolution of distributions and ultradistributions by introducing the notions of evaluation of distributions and integration of ultradistributions. An application is made to an interpretation of the Dirac formalism of quantum mechanics. The role of the Hilbert space of states is played by what is termed a Hermitian orthonormal system, and operators are replaced by the generalized matrices. We describe a simple example of one dimensional free particle and construct explicitly a representation of the Weyl algebra as the generalized matrices.
Abstract In this chapter we present the mathematical framework of describing wave functions as vectors in a Hilbert space and observables as Hermitian operators on such a vector space. We describe the mathematical formulation of these ideas for finite and infinite-dimensional cases via the Dirac notation, and discuss the example of the Hilbert space of photon polarization. Important classes of linear operators on Hilbert spaces are discussed, including projectors, Hermitian and self-adjoint operators, as well as unitary operators. As an important centre piece for the mathematical language of quantum mechanics we present the spectral theorem. We discuss the subtleties of this framework in infinite dimensions, giving a brief overview of the distributional aspects of quantum mechanics and the conceptually important problem of finding self-adjoint extensions via the Weyl-von Neumann theorem
We combine the ideas of Dirac's orthonormal representation, Everett's relative state, and 't Hooft's ontological basis to define the notion of a world for quantum mechanics. Mathematically, for a quantum system Q with an associated Hilbert space H, a world of Q is defined to be an orthonormal basis of H. The evolution of the system is governed by Schrödinger's equation for the worlds of it. An observable in a certain world is a self-adjoint operator diagonal under the corresponding basis. Moreover, a state is defined in an associated world but can be uniquely extended to the whole system as proved recently by Marcus, Spielman, and Srivastava. Although the states described by unit vectors in H may be determined in different worlds, there are the so-called topology-compact states which must be determined by the totality of a world. We can apply the Copenhagen interpretation to a world for regarding a quantum state as an external observation, and obtain the Born rule of random outcomes. Therefore, we present a mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics based on the notion of a world instead of a quantum state.
Linear algebra is the natural mathematical language of quantum mechanics. For this reason, the present chapter starts with a review of Hilbert spaces for vectors and operators. We introduce vector and Hilbert spaces along with inner products and metrics. The Dirac notation is developed for the Euclidean vector spaces as a starting point for the concepts of complete orthonormal sets of vectors, closure, dual vector spaces, and adjoint operators. The Dirac delta function in various forms and the principal part is introduced in Appendix 5 as an essential tool. The chapter turns to the main use of Dirac notation for function spaces; the concepts of norm, inner product, and closure are discussed. Fourier, Cosine, and Sine series are discussed as examples of expansions in complete orthonormal sets of functions. Although Hilbert spaces are interesting mathematical objects with important physical applications, the study of linear algebra remains incomplete without a study of linear operators (i.e., linear transformations). In fact, the set of linear transformations itself forms a vector space and therefore has a basis set. The basis set for the operator is linked with the basis sets for the spaces that it operates between. The linear operator can be discussed as an abstract operator or through an isomorphism as a matrix or as a generalized expansion in operator space. A Hermitian (a.k.a., self-adjoint) operator produces a basis set within a Hilbert space. The basis set comes from the eigenvector equation for the particular operator. The fact that a Hermitian operator produces a complete set (of orthornomal vectors) has special importance for quantum mechanics. Observables such as energy or momentum correspond to Hermitian operators. Complete sets make it possible to represent every possible result of a measurement of the observable by an object (vector) in the theory. The Hermitian operators have real eigenvalues which represent the results of the measurement.
In this paper we start to construct some fundamental features of Dirac Calculus, specifically, we go inside the theory of Heisenberg continuous matrices, which, in our Schwartz Linear Algebra, are represented by Schwartz families. We distinguish the important subclass of transposable continuous matrices and give some basic and very important examples in Quantum Mechanics. So we define transposable Schwartz families and their transpose families, we prove the transposability of Dirac families and Fourier families. We find the transpose of regular-distribution families in a much general case. We define symmetric families, the analogous of symmetric ma- trices in the continuous case. We prove the symmetry of Dirac families and of Fourier families. We define Hermitian families, the analogous of Hermitian matrices in the continuous case. We prove the Hermitianity of Dirac families and of Fourier families. We define unitary families, the analogous of unitary matrices in the continuous case. We prove the unitarity of Dirac families and of the fundamental normalized de Broglie family. Then, we use the transpose of a family to find the components of the superpositions of transposable families, we give a general result and we apply this result to the Dirac families and the eigenfamilies of the vector-wave operator. We shall use the transposable families in next chapters to define the Dirac product in distribution spaces, basic product for the entire foundation of Dirac Calculus and Quantum Mechanics formalism.
We review the postulates of quantum mechanics with respect to the representation of physical states and measurable quantities, their time evolution, and the interpretation of measurements. We first formulate the postulates in terms of wave functions and differential operators, and then reformulate them in the abstract Hilbert space of state vectors, using Dirac’s notations. Improper states subject to Dirac’s delta normalization are introduced, and the space of physical states is extended to include them. The postulates are rationalized by associating each Hermitian linear operator with a complete orthonormal system of its eigenvectors, where measurement probabilities depend on the projections of these eigenvectors on the system’s state vector. Particularly, wave functions are identified as projections of state vectors on the position operator eigenstates. State vectors representing multidimensional systems are formulated as tensor products of vectors in their subspaces. Finally, we address the general uncertainty relations in simultaneous measurements of different observables.
This chapter gives a summary of the mathematical formalism used in quantum mechanics, with a short bibliography put directly at its end. It should be seen as a complement, to be used by readers who wish to know more than what has been recalled about the mathematical tools in the other chapters. Some results are given without explicit proofs; they can be found for instance in Chapters II and IV of [1] . Many quantum mechanics textbooks introduce its general formalism in a more complete way, for instance Chapter VII of [2] , Chapter 3 of [3] , or Chapter 2 of [4] . We first summarize the general formalism of quantum mechanics for any physical system (§11.1), with the Dirac notation; we then study how this formalism treats the grouping of several physical systems into one single quantum system (§11.2); finally, we study a few simple special cases (§11.3), for instance a single particle in an external potential, with or without spin; the reader who prefers wave functions to more abstract reasonings in spaces of states may begin with this section. General physical system The general formalism of quantum mechanics applies to all physical systems, whether they contain a single particle, many particles of various sorts, one or several fields, etc. Quantum space of states The physical state of a system at each time is defined in quantum mechanics by a state vector which, in Dirac notation, is written ∣ ψ 〈 – or ∣ ψ(t) 〈 if one wishes to make the time dependence explicit.