Wigner trajectories in phase space provide a pictorial representation of the quantum evolution of a system of interest in the Wigner-function formulation of quantum mechanics with many analogies with the description of classical evolutions. The existence of Wigner trajectories has been discussed so far only for ballistic coherent electrons moving in an external potential profile. We prove in this paper the existence of Wigner paths that are defined also in the presence of electron-phonon coupling, and go over some interpretative problems related to Wigner trajectories. Wigner paths can be used to determine the evolution of the Wigner function in time during scattering processes. This general result opens new fields of application of the concept of Wigner function, mainly in connection with the numerical study of quantum transport in mesoscopic systems.
Wigner trajectories in phase space provide a pictorial representation of the quantum evolution of a system of interest in the Wigner-function formulation of quantum mechanics with many analogies with the description of classical evolutions. The existence of Wigner trajectories has been discussed so far only for ballistic coherent electrons moving in an external potential profile. We prove in this paper the existence of Wigner paths that are defined also in the presence of electron-phonon coupling, and go over some interpretative problems related to Wigner trajectories. Wigner paths can be used to determine the evolution of the Wigner function in time during scattering processes. This general result opens new fields of application of the concept of Wigner function, mainly in connection with the numerical study of quantum transport in mesoscopic systems.
The Wigner formulation of quantum mechanics based on the concept of Wigner function (WF), is particularly suitable for the study of quantum transport in mesoscopic systems since it allows to describe quantum mechanical effects in an (r,p) phase space, in analogy to what is done for classical systems. Recently we have introduced the concept of Wigner paths (WPs) in phase space which both provide a pictorial representation of the quantum evolution of the system of interest and constitute a useful tool for providing numerical solutions of the quantum equation describing the time evolution of the system. The theory has been applied to the following cases: (a) The study of the transport properties of the transient regime for homogeneous systems. (b) The comparison between quantum and classical treatment of the scattering mechanism. (c) The study of the reflection of the WF from an infinite potential barrier. Furthermore, the Wigner approach, originally formulated in terms of single-time WF has been extended by introducing the two-time WF. The Fourier transform of this function contains independent information about both momentum and energy of the electron. The Monte Carlo procedure based on the generation of WPs can be used to evaluate the two-time WF of an electron interacting with the phonon gas.
The use of the Wigner function for the study of quantum transport in open systems present severe criticisms. Some of the problems arise from the assumption of infinite coherence length of the electron dynamics outside the system of interest. In the present work the theory of the Wigner function is revised assuming a finite coherence length. A new dynamical equation is found, corresponding to move the Wigner momentum off the real axis, and a numerical analysis is performed for the case of study of the onedimensional potential barrier.
The Wigner function was formulated in 1932 by Eugene Paul Wigner, at a time when quantum mechanics was in its infancy. In doing so, he brought phase space representations into quantum mechanics. However, its unique nature also made it very interesting for classical approaches and for identifying the deviations from classical behavior and the entanglement that can occur in quantum systems. What stands out, though, is the feature to experimentally reconstruct the Wigner function, which provides far more information on the system than can be obtained by any other quantum approach. This feature is particularly important for the field of quantum information processing and quantum physics. However, the Wigner function finds wide-ranging use cases in other dominant and highly active fields as well, such as in quantum electronics—to model the electron transport, in quantum chemistry—to calculate the static and dynamical properties of many-body quantum systems, and in signal processing—to investigate waves passing through certain media. What is peculiar in recent years is a strong increase in applying it: Although originally formulated 86 years ago, only today the full potential of the Wigner function—both in ability and diversity—begins to surface. This review, as well as a growing, dedicated Wigner community, is a testament to this development and gives a broad and concise overview of recent advancements in different fields.
Abstract. We establish the difference between the propagation of semiclassical Wigner functions and classical Liouville propagation. First we re-discuss the semiclassical limit for the propagator of Wigner functions, which on its own leads to their classical propagation. Then, via stationary phase evaluation of the full integral evolution equation, using the semiclassical expressions of Wigner functions, we provide the correct geometrical prescription for their semiclassical propagation. This is determined by the classical trajectories of the tips of the chords defined by the initial semiclassical Wigner function and centered on their arguments, in contrast to the Liouville propagation which is determined by the classical trajectories of the arguments themselves. 1. introduction The Wigner [11] function W is a representation of the quantum density operator ˆρ as a real function on phase space, for a non-relativistic dynamical system with classical-quantum correspondence and n degrees of freedom. Here, all the underlying geometry is euclidean and we can include the Wigner function within the general framework of Weyl representation of operators: Â → A ∈ Ck IR (IR2n), so W(x) = (2π�) −n ρ(x) , where x ≡ (p1,...pn, q1,...qn) denotes a point in phase space. In this context, the quantum evolution of the density operator ˆρt effected by an autonomous external hamiltonian
An analysis of the Wigner function for identical particles is presented. Four situations have been considered. i) A scattering process between two indistinguishable electrons described by a minimum uncertainty wave packets showing the exchange and correlation hole in Wigner phase space. ii) An equilibrium ensemble of N electrons in a one-dimensional box and in a one-dimensional harmonic potential showing that the reduced single particle Wigner function as a function of the energy defined in the Wigner phase-space tends to a Fermi distribution. iii) The reduced one-particle transport-equation for the Wigner function in the case of interacting electrons showing the need for the two-particle reduced Wigner function within the BBGKY hierarchy scheme. iv) The electron-phonon interaction in the two-particle case showing co-participation of two electrons in the interaction with the phonon bath.