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Physical Review A

Relation between atomic coherent-state representation, state multipoles, and generalized phase-space distributions

G. S. Agarwal

Published Dec 1, 1981• 312 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The relationship between the atomic coherent-state representation of Arecchi et al. [Phys. Rev. A 6, 2211 (1972)] and the state multipoles is established. The state multipoles are used to develop a theory of generalized phase-space distributions for angular momentum (collective atomic) systems. The general theory for angular momentum systems is shown to have many features in common with the general theory for boson systems [Phys. Rev. D 2, 2161 (1970)]. These generalized phase-space distributions contain as a special case the coherent-state representation of Arecchi et al. The applications of the generalized phase-space distributions and state multipoles to the dynamical problems and to the calculation of multitime correlations are given. State-multipole techniques are used to give a brief discussion of the master equation describing cooperative resonance fluorescence.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.24.2889

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The relationship between the atomic coherent-state representation of Arecchi et al. [Phys. Rev. A 6, 2211 (1972)] and the state multipoles is established. The state multipoles are used to develop a theory of generalized phase-space distributions for angular momentum (collective atomic) systems. The general theory for angular momentum systems is shown to have many features in common with the general theory for boson systems [Phys. Rev. D 2, 2161 (1970)]. These generalized phase-space distributions contain as a special case the coherent-state representation of Arecchi et al. The applications of the generalized phase-space distributions and state multipoles to the dynamical problems and to the calculation of multitime correlations are given. State-multipole techniques are used to give a brief discussion of the master equation describing cooperative resonance fluorescence.
We consider the evaluation of multitime-correlation functions for quantum statistical systems characterized by dynamical variables of the angular-momentum type (such as, for example, paramagnetic or nuclear spins or collections of two-level atoms), and show how the atomic coherent-state representation of Arecchi et al. can be used to express the multitime averages in terms of phase-space integrals. Our calculation suggests a convenient classical-quantum correspondence rule for angular-momentum degrees of freedom.
The general theory of quantum angular momentum is used to derive the unique Wigner distribution function for arbitrary angular-momentum states. We give the explicit distribution for atomic angular-momentum Dicke states, coherent states, and squeezed states that correspond to a collection of N two-level atoms. These Wigner functions W(\ensuremath{\theta},cphi) are represented as a pseudoprobability distribution in spherical phase space with spherical coordinates \ensuremath{\theta} and cphi on the surface of a sphere of radius \ensuremath{\Elzxh} \ensuremath{\surd}j(j+1) where j is the total angular-momentum eigenvalue.
We present a detailed discussion of a general theory of phase-space distributions, introduced recently by the authors [J. Phys. A 31, L9 (1998)]. This theory provides a unified phase-space formulation of quantum mechanics for physical systems possessing Lie-group symmetries. The concept of generalized coherent states and the method of harmonic analysis are used to construct explicitly a family of phase-space functions which are postulated to satisfy the Stratonovich-Weyl correspondence with a generalized tracing condition. The symbol calculus for the phase-space functions is given by means of the generalized twisted product. The phase-space formalism is used to study the problem of the reconstruction of quantum states. In particular, we consider the reconstruction method based on measurements of displaced projectors, which comprises a number of recently proposed quantum-optical schemes and is also related to the standard methods of signal processing. A general group-theoretic description of this method is developed using the technique of harmonic expansions on the phase space.
A set of quasi-probability distribution functions which give the correct quantum mechanical marginal distributions of position and momentum is studied. The phase-space distribution does not have to be bilinear in the state function. The Wigner distribution is a special case. A general relationship between the phase-space distribution functions and the rule of associating classical quantities to quantum mechanical operators is derived. This allows the writing of correspondence rules at will,of which the ones presently known are particular cases. The dynamics and other properties of the generalized phase-space distribution are considered.
In this paper we formulate a new stochastic description of quantum mechanics in phase space. The theory of phase-space representations of quantum mechanics, initiated by Wigner, Groenewold, and Moyal and systematized recently by Agarwal and Wolf is essentially a single-time theory, in that it deals only with the quantum-mechanical joint distribution functions for position and momentum at a single instant of time. We develop a natural multitime extension of such a single-time theory. We consider a class of multitime phase-space distribution functions such that an arbitrary quantum multitime correlation function can be expressed as a phase-space average of the form encountered in classical stochastic theories. We study the nonclassical features of these multitime distribution functions and show that they may be considered as characterizing a generalized stochastic process in phase space. We demonstrate that the multitime distribution functions that correspond to Hamiltonian evolution of isolated quantum systems satisfy a certain condition that may be regarded as characterizing a generalized Markov process. We also investigate certain special features of the generalized stochastic processes that characterize the evolution of open systems.
Since the very early days of quantum theory there have been numerous attempts to interpret quantum mechanics as a statistical theory. This is equivalent to describing quantum states and ensembles together with their dynamics entirely in terms of phase-space distributions. Finite dimensional systems have historically been an issue. In recent works [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 180401 (2016) and Phys. Rev. A 96, 022117 (2017)] we presented a framework for representing any quantum state as a complete continuous Wigner function. Here we extend this work to its partner function---the Weyl function. In doing so we complete the phase-space formulation of quantum mechanics---extending work by Wigner, Weyl, Moyal, and others to any quantum system. This work is structured in three parts. First we provide a brief modernized discussion of the general framework of phase-space quantum mechanics. We extend previous work and show how this leads to a framework that can describe any system in phase space---putting it for the first time on a truly equal footing to Schr\"odinger's and Heisenberg's formulation of quantum mechanics. Importantly, we do this in a way that respects the unifying principles of ``parity'' and ``displacement'' in a natural broadening of previously developed phase-space concepts and methods. Secondly we consider how this framework is realized for different quantum systems; in particular we consider the proper construction of Weyl functions for some example finite dimensional systems. Finally we relate the Wigner and Weyl distributions to statistical properties of any quantum system or set of systems.