Phase-space dynamics and quantum mechanics

Jens Peder Dahl

Gabino Torres-Vega

Probability densities in phase space containing quantum dynamics information are very useful. However, is there a true phase space representation of Quantum Mechanics?

Xin He, Baihua Wu, Youhao Shang +3 more

Abstract We report recent progress on the phase space formulation of quantum mechanics with coordinate‐momentum variables, focusing more on new theory of (weighted) constraint coordinate‐momentum phase space for discrete‐variable quantum systems. This leads to a general coordinate‐momentum phase space formulation of composite quantum systems, where conventional representations on infinite phase space are employed for continuous variables. It is convenient to utilize (weighted) constraint coordinate‐momentum phase space for representing the quantum state and describing nonclassical features. Various numerical tests demonstrate that new trajectory‐based quantum dynamics approaches derived from the (weighted) constraint phase space representation are useful and practical for describing dynamical processes of composite quantum systems in the gas phase as well as in the condensed phase. This article is categorized under: Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Molecular Dynamics and Monte‐Carlo Methods Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Reaction Dynamics and Kinetics Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Statistical Mechanics

Vladimir S. Filinov

Franklin E. Schroeck

Robert W. Zwanzig

Abstract For present purposes, the first thing to recall about quantum mechanics is that all dynamical quantities, instead of being functions of the location of a system in phase space as in classical mechanics, are now represented by operators in a Hilbert space of quantum states. In particular, the quantum analog of the classical phase space distribution function is the quantum mechanical density matrix. Since this is seldom discussed in introductory texts on either quantum mechanics or statistical mechanics, it may be helpful to summarize some of its basic properties.