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Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

Indistinguishability and correlation in model systems

Humberto G. Laguna, Robin P. Sagar

Published Apr 5, 2011• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We study the influence of wavefunction symmetry on localization measures of quantum mechanical distributions for two non-interacting particles in a box, in position and in momentum spaces. A comparison between the marginal distributions and the previously studied one-particle model is performed. The correlation coefficient and mutual information are examined as measures of correlation and the differences discussed. The influence of symmetry on the correlation measures is examined in both spaces.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8113/44/18/185302

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Shannon entropies of the Wigner function are calculated for ground and excited stationary states of the Particle-In-A-Box and Harmonic Oscillator model systems and examined as a measure of the localization of the phase-space distribution. We show that their behavior is consistent with that of the sum of the position and momentum space entropies as a function of quantum number. Position-momentum correlation is then analyzed in these systems by defining mutual information between position and momentum variables. This mutual information yields non-zero values, in contrast to the quantum covariance, and increases with quantum number.
Position–momentum correlation in the Moshinsky atom is studied by examining the mutual information between Wigner functions and position/momentum space densities, at the one- and two-particle levels. We show that this correlation is independent of the strength of the interparticle potential at the two-particle level. At the one-particle level, the correlation decreases as the potential is increased. Shannon entropies of one- and two-particle Wigner functions are also discussed as measures of the localization in phase-space distributions.
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This chapter addresses the quantum mechanics of identical particles, emphasizing the role of wavefunction symmetry in determining statistical behavior. Symmetric and antisymmetric wavefunctions are defined, and the implications of particle indistinguishability are examined, particularly regarding how it influences measurable outcomes and the concept of energy exchange degeneracy. The distinguishability of identical particles is discussed and shown to affect specific calculations. For systems where particle interactions can be neglected in the zero-order approximation, the total energy eigenfunction is expressed as a product of single-particle eigenfunctions. The Pauli exclusion principle is derived as a consequence of antisymmetrization. The relationship between symmetry type (bosonic or fermionic) and quantum statistics is elaborated. As an illustration, the ground state and the first excited sss-state of the helium atom are analyzed under a simplified approximation. Metadata/Keywords: identical particles, symmetric wavefunction, antisymmetric wavefunction, Pauli exclusion principle, quantum statistics, energy exchange degeneracy, indistinguishability, helium atom, symmetry and statistics
The effects of bath coupling on an interacting two-particle quantum system are studied using tools from information theory. Shannon entropies of the one (reduced) and two-particle distribution functions in position, momentum and separable phase-space are examined. Results show that the presence of the bath leads to a delocalization of the distribution functions in position space, and a localization in momentum space. This can be interpreted as a loss of information in position space and a gain of information in momentum space. The entropy sum of the system, in the presence of a bath, is shown to be dependent on the strength of the interparticle potential and also on the strength of the coupling to the bath. The statistical correlation between the particles, and its dependence on the bath and interparticle potential, is examined using mutual information. A stronger repulsive potential between particles, in the presence of the bath, yields a smaller correlation between the particles positions, and a larger one between their momenta.