In the classical mechanics of conservative systems, the position and momentum evolve deterministically such that the sum of the kinetic energy and potential energy remains constant in time. This canonical trademark of energy conservation is absent in the standard presentations of quantum mechanics based on the Schrödinger picture. We present a purely canonical proof of energy conservation that focuses exclusively on the time-dependent position x(t) and momentum p(t) operators. This treatment of energy conservation serves as an introduction to the Heisenberg picture and illuminates the classical-quantum connection. We derive a quantum-mechanical work-energy theorem and show explicitly how the time dependence of x and p and the noncommutivity of x and p conspire to bring about a perfect temporal balance between the evolving kinetic and potential parts of the total energy operator.
In the classical mechanics of conservative systems, the position and momentum evolve deterministically such that the sum of the kinetic energy and potential energy remains constant in time. This canonical trademark of energy conservation is absent in the standard presentations of quantum mechanics based on the Schrödinger picture. We present a purely canonical proof of energy conservation that focuses exclusively on the time-dependent position x(t) and momentum p(t) operators. This treatment of energy conservation serves as an introduction to the Heisenberg picture and illuminates the classical-quantum connection. We derive a quantum-mechanical work-energy theorem and show explicitly how the time dependence of x and p and the noncommutivity of x and p conspire to bring about a perfect temporal balance between the evolving kinetic and potential parts of the total energy operator.
A derivation from first principles is given of the energy-time uncertainty relation in quantum mechanics. A canonical transformation is made in classical mechanics to a new canonical momentum, which is energy E, and a new canonical coordinate T, which is called tempus, conjugate to the energy. Tempus T, the canonical coordinate conjugate to the energy, is conceptually different from the time t in which the system evolves. The Poisson bracket is a canonical invariant, so that energy and tempus satisfy the same Poisson bracket as do p and q. When the system is quantized, we find the energy-time uncertainty relation \ensuremath{\Delta}E\ensuremath{\Delta}T\ensuremath{\ge}\ensuremath{\Elzxh}/2. For a conservative system the average of the tempus operator T^ is the time t plus a constant. For a free particle and a particle acted on by a constant force, the tempus operators are constructed explicitly, and the energy-time uncertainty relation is explicitly verified.
Classical statistical equilibrium appears to be based on a no-flow situation with a balance of pressure (including -dV/dx in the case of a potential present). It may be noted, however, that like quantum mechanics, a single particle has different probabilities of being at one x versus another. Furthermore, the Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions may be obtained using reaction balance which is linked to conservation of energy i.e. g(f(ei))g(f(ej)) = g(f(el))g(f(ek)) where ei+ej=el+ei=e. Taking ln of the former expression and linking to the latter yields f(ei), the probability distribution. g=1 for the MB case, f(e)/(1-f(ei)) for the FD and f(e)/(1+f(ei)) for the BE. In classical mechanics, one has the conservation equation: p(x)*p(x)/2m + V(x) = E. In quantum bound systems one has: KE(ave)(x) + V(x) = E which appears to be very similar, although it is based on ensemble averages and there is a momentum distribution P(p/x) at each x. A question which arises is: What is the “conservation of energy” equation for a particular p of the P(p/x) distribution? In this note, we argue the “potential” term associated with a component p*p/2m is related to the part of the potential which contributes to the “creation” of p. In particular, we consider V(x)= Sum over k V(k) exp(ikx) where each k term renders a kick of momentum k. One may create a momentum p using k and p-k for each value of k. We further argue that: p*p/2m P(p/x) + contributing portion of V(x) = E P(p/x) ((1)) for all p. Thus, in quantum equilibrium, which involves a flow, there is a “constant E” type of equation i.e. ((1)), different in form but similar in idea, to that of classical statistical mechanical equilibrium. In previous notes, we referred to this as cycling, but in this note we wish to consider it in terms of dynamics. We further note that in both classical statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics, the energy-probability p equation makes use of the overall average energy which is bT for the classical case and E for the quantum. (b is constant)
In this article we study the nature of time in Mechanics.The fundamental principle, according to which a mechanical system evolves governed by a second order differential equation, implies the existence of an absolute time-duration in the sense of Newton.There is a second notion of time for conservative systems which makes the Hamiltonian action evolve at a constant rate.In Quantum Mechanics the absolute time loses its sense as it does the notion of trajectory.Then, we propose two different ways to reach the time dependent Schrödinger equation.One way consists of considering a "time constraint" on a free system.The other way is based on the point of view of Hertz, by considering the system as a projection of a free system.In the later manner, the "time" appearing in the Schrödinger equation is a linear combination of the time-duration with the "time" quotient of the action by the energy on each solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation.Both of them are based on a rule of quantization that we explain in Section 4. Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Time as duration and its absolute character 3 3. Classical Mechanics 6 4. Quantization of contravariant tensors.Dequantization of differential operators 10 5. Time dependent Schrödinger equation from a time constraint 14 6.Waves in Classical Mechanics 17 7.Time dependent Schrödinger equation from a Hertz constraint 21 8.
We clarify certain confusions in the literature of the density operator in quantum mechanics, and demonstrate that the quantum Liouville theorem has the same form in both the Schrodinger and the Heisenberg pictures.Our starting point is to treat the density operator as an observable which has its specific time dependence in each of the two pictures.It is further shown that such a formulation will provide the exact correspondence between classical and quantum statistical mechanics with the Liouville theorem being interpreted as a conservation law, which is derivable from the equation of motion only in the quantum case.
Despite the fact that it has been known since the time of Heisenberg that quantum operators obey a quantum version of Newton's laws, students are often told that derivations of quantum mechanics must necessarily follow from the Hamiltonian or Lagrangian formulations of mechanics. Here, we first derive the existing Heisenberg equations of motion from Newton's laws and the uncertainty principle using only the equations F=dtdP, P=mdtdV, and [X,P]=i. Then, a new expression for the propagator is derived that makes a connection between time evolution in quantum mechanics and the motion of a classical particle under Newton's laws. The propagator is solved for three cases where an exact solution is possible 1) the free particle 2) the harmonic oscillator 3) a constant force, or linear potential in the standard interpretation. Such a picture may be useful for students as they make the transition from classical to quantum mechanics and help solidify the equivalence of the Hamiltonian, Lagrangian, and Newtonian formulations of physics in their minds.
For time-dependent systems the wavefunction depends explicitly on time and it is not a pure state of the Hamiltonian. We construct operators for which the above wavefunction is a pure state. The method is based on the introduction of conserved quantities Q and the pure states are defined by Q^ψ=qψ. The conserved quantities are constructed using parametrised mechanics and the Noether theorem.