By means of the Wigner distribution function an expression is derived for the quasiprobability that a free particle in one dimension arrives at the origin during a given time interval and also for the quasiprobability that the phase of a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator lies in a given segment of the circle. It is shown that the best bounds on these quasiprobabilities p are -0.1559<or=p<or=1.0077, independent of the size of the interval. It is shown that on disjoint unions of infinitely many intervals the quasiprobabilities may add up to any positive or negative real value. It is briefly indicated how negative probabilities can be avoided altogether in an alternative approach to the quantisation of arrival time and oscillator phase.
By means of the Wigner distribution function an expression is derived for the quasiprobability that a free particle in one dimension arrives at the origin during a given time interval and also for the quasiprobability that the phase of a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator lies in a given segment of the circle. It is shown that the best bounds on these quasiprobabilities p are -0.1559<or=p<or=1.0077, independent of the size of the interval. It is shown that on disjoint unions of infinitely many intervals the quasiprobabilities may add up to any positive or negative real value. It is briefly indicated how negative probabilities can be avoided altogether in an alternative approach to the quantisation of arrival time and oscillator phase.
The Wigner quasiprobability, along with some of its essentialproperties, is introduced and discussed in two versions, first covering real canonical variables such as W(q,p) and second a pair of complex conjugate coordinates such as W(α,α*). The reconstruction of the density operator ϱ of states is also given. Building upon the Susskind–Glogower concept of quantum phase operators, further aspects of phase operator algebras in the quantum optics of a harmonic oscillator are discussed in relation to the realization of the su(1,1) Lie algebra. Coherent phase states |ε⟩ are introduced in analogy to the common coherent states |α⟩ in two ways, as both eigenstates of certain operators and as states generated from a ground state |0⟩ by operators of the Lie group SU(1,1). The limiting transition to the non-normalizable Fritz London phase states |eiφ⟩ on the unit circle and an (over)-completeness relation for the coherent phase states are derived. The Wigner quasiprobability W(q,p) for the coherent phase states is calculated and graphically represented. From the Wigner quasiprobability, a phase distribution W(φ) is calculated by integrating over the radius, and its uncertainty is defined and presented. The Hilbert–Schmidt distance is discussed as a measure of the non-classicality of states, where most of our with Viktor Dodonov work was carried out.
An earlier study of quantum-mechanical time has suggested that, from the quantum-theoretic point of view, time is a random variable. The present work explores how such a description of time can be used to bring greater detail into the analysis of the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator. Specifically, the classical equations for harmonic motion are used as a point transformation between phase space and time-energy space, permitting probability distributions in the two spaces to be different representations of the same thing. The familiar energy-quantization hypothesis is supplemented with the hypothesis that quantized energy values are means (averages) of energy distributions characteristic of each energy state. With the probability distribution of time determined from the previously cited study, the desired quantized energy distributions follow from the requirements: (1) that they should be normalized, non-negative, and with means equal to the quantized energy values; (2) that the equivalent representation of distribution in position-momentum space should have marginal densities that are proportional (except near the origin) to the densities in position and momentum, ${|\ensuremath{\phi}(q)|}^{2}$ and ${|\ensuremath{\psi}(p)|}^{2}$, which are postulated in quantum theory. Requirement (2) is a weakening of the Born postulate. In the time-energy space, the probability distributions exclude energies smaller than the mode (energy value with maximum probability). In position-momentum space this exclusion requirement becomes the dynamical restriction: $\frac{{q}^{2}m{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{2}}{2}+\frac{{p}^{2}}{2m}\ensuremath{\ge}\frac{{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{n}\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}}{2}$, where, for the first three energy states, ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{0}=0$, ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{1}=\frac{3}{2}$, ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{2}=2+\ensuremath{\surd}\frac{3}{2}$. In general terms it is thus shown that the quantized harmonic oscillator can be described as a statistical ensemble of classical oscillators. Some comparisons with work on phase-space formulations of quantum mechanics (especially with the work of Wigner) are made and some aspects of the theory that should submit to experimental verification are pointed out.
Correct use of the Wigner representation of quantum mechanics, which is realized with joint distributions of quasiprobabilities in phase space, requires the use of certain specific rules and attention to a number of properties which distinguish the quasiprobability from a true probability. This paper is mainly concerned with these problems. In the Wigner representation the quantum Liouville equation appears instead of the Schroedinger equation. The solution may have no physical meaning unless it is subjected to a necessary and sufficient condition which selects an allowed class of distributions which describe quantum-mechanical pure states. This condition contains Planck's constant and imposes, besides the uncertainty relations, severe restrictions on the possible form of the Wigner function. When this condition is satisfied, one can reconstruct the wave function from the Wigner function. In the case of an oscillator, the quantization condition for the energies of the stationary states does not follow from the Liouville equation, but from this supplementary condition. Unlike the true probability density, any Wigner function (except Gaussian ones) of a pure state takes on negative values. Another important peculiarity is that the quasiprobability is not concentrated on certain hypersurfaces, but is smeared out over the entire phase space. These and other features considered in this paper should be kept in mind when using the Wigner representation in quantum-mechanical problems.
The integral of the Wigner function of a quantum-mechanical system over a region or its boundary in the classical phase plane, is called a quasiprobability integral. Unlike a true probability integral, its value may lie outside the interval [0, 1]. It is characterized by a corresponding selfadjoint operator, to be called a region or contour operator as appropriate, which is determined by the characteristic function of that region or contour. The spectral problem is studied for commuting families of region and contour operators associated with concentric discs and circles of given radius a . Their respective eigenvalues are determined as functions of a , in terms of the Gauss–Laguerre polynomials. These polynomials provide a basis of vectors in a Hilbert space carrying the positive discrete series representation of the algebra su (1, 1) ≈ so (2, 1). The explicit relation between the spectra of operators associated with discs and circles with proportional radii, is given in terms of the discrete variable Meixner polynomials.
New time dependent extended Wigner functions for the quantum harmonic oscillator have been obtained in this work. The Moyal equation for the harmonic oscillator has been associated with the wave equation of a 2D membrane in the phase plane. The values of the extended Wigner function are equal to the deviation values of the points on the surface of the membrane from the equilibrium state. The positive and negative values of the extended Wigner function correspond to the direction of the deviation from the equilibrium state. As an example, a time dependent extended Wigner function corresponding to the standing wave of quasi-probability density arising in the phase plane is considered.
Using the orthodox Weyl -- Wigner -- Stratonovich -- Cohen (WWSC) quantization rule we construct a time -- of -- arrival operator for a free particle on the circle. It is shown that this operator is self -- adjoint but the careful analysis of its properties suggests that it cannot represent a `physical' time -- of -- arrival observable. The problem of a time -- of -- arrival observable for the `waiting screen' is also considered. A method of avoiding the quantum Zeno effect is proposed and the positive operator valued measure (POV -- measure) or the generalized positive operator valued measure (GPOV -- measure) describing quantum time -- of -- arrival observable for the waiting screen are found.