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Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields

On predicting correlations from Wigner functions

Arlen Anderson

Published Jul 15, 1990• 37 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A proposal for obtaining predictions of correlations between positions and momenta from the peaks of the Wigner function is studied. An implementation of this proposal based on approximate Wigner functions of a special form obtained from semiclassical wave functions is shown to be unreliable because the exact Wigner functions do not have this form. This approach has been used to argue that classical general relativity is predicted from the semiclassical wave function of the Universe, and this must now be reconsidered. A new measure of correlation, involving projection onto coherent states, is proposed for predicting classical correlations from a general Wigner function. In the harmonic oscillator, it predicts a correlation of position and momentum given by the Hamiltonian equated to the classical energy.

DOI
10.1103/physrevd.42.585

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A proposal for obtaining predictions of correlations between positions and momenta from the peaks of the Wigner function is studied. An implementation of this proposal based on approximate Wigner functions of a special form obtained from semiclassical wave functions is shown to be unreliable because the exact Wigner functions do not have this form. This approach has been used to argue that classical general relativity is predicted from the semiclassical wave function of the Universe, and this must now be reconsidered. A new measure of correlation, involving projection onto coherent states, is proposed for predicting classical correlations from a general Wigner function. In the harmonic oscillator, it predicts a correlation of position and momentum given by the Hamiltonian equated to the classical energy.
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We investigate the retrieval of classical behavior from the wave function of the Universe. It has been previously argued that to do this two conditions are necessary: decoherence (or lack of quantum interference) and the existence of classical correlations. Using the Wigner function we study the mutual compatibility of these requirements. Assuming the correlation interpretation of Geroch and Hartle, we show that some form of coarse graining is essential for the theory to predict classical behavior from WKB wave functions. We also show that there must be a compromise between the degree of decoherence and the sharpness of classical correlations. A minisuperspace model is used as an example to illustrate these points.
A single wave component of a quantum particle can in principle be detected by the way that it interferes with itself, that is, through the local wave function correlation. The interpretation as the expectation of a local translation operator allows this measure of quantum wavyness to be followed through the process of decoherence in open quantum systems. This is here assumed to be Markovian, determined by Lindblad operators that are linear in position and momentum. The limitation of small averaging windows and even smaller correlation lengths simplifies the semiclassical theory for the evolving local correlation. Its spectrum has a peak for each classical momentum, subjected to Gaussian broadening with decoherence. These spectral lines can be clearly resolved even after the Wigner function has become positive: The correlations located far from caustics seem to be the last vestige of quantum oscilations.
The Wigner function is a quantum analogue of the classical joined distribution of position and momentum. As such is should be a good tool to study quantum-classical correspondence. In this paper, the classical limit of the Wigner function is shown using the quantum harmonic oscillator as an example. The Wigner function is found exactly for all states. The semi-classical wavefunctions for highly excited states are used as the approach to the classical limit. Therefore, one can found the classical limit of the Wigner function for highly excited states and shown that it gives the classical microcanonical ensemble.
A single wave component of a quantum particle can in principle be detected by the way that it interferes with itself, that is, through the local wave function correlation. The interpretation as the expectation of a local translation operator allows this measure of quantum wavyness to be followed through the process of decoherence in open quantum systems. This is here assumed to be Markovian, determined by Lindblad operators that are linear in position and momentum. The limitation of small averaging windows and even smaller correlation lengths simplifies the semiclassical theory for the evolving local correlation. Its spectrum has a peak for each classical momentum, subjected to Gaussian broadening with decoherence. These spectral lines can be clearly resolved even after the Wigner function has become positive: The correlations located far from caustics seem to be the last vestige of quantum oscilations.
In this Master's thesis, we give a pedagogical introduction to the semiclassical analysis of wave dynamics in single-band and multi-band systems. We show how the semiclassical evolutions of Wigner functions can approximate the dynamics of wave packet centers and wave packet deformations. Three systems of increasing complexity are considered: the quantum harmonic oscillator and the quantum anharmonic oscillator as single-band systems, and the Dirac oscillator as a two-band system. We explain the origins of the first-order semiclassical corrections (Moyal, Littlejohn-Flynn, and Berry) in the equations of motion and examine their effects on predictive accuracy. Another focus is set on the conditions for validity of the semiclassical analysis. For both the quantum anharmonic and the Dirac oscillators, a dimensionless parameter controlling the accuracy of the approximation is identified. In multi-band systems, the formalism applies only to states within a single adiabatic subspace, which, for the Dirac oscillator, corresponds to an energy branch. This motivates the construction of single-branch almost coherent states: approximately Gaussian wave packets formed by superpositions of states from a single energy branch. Their centers undergo oscillations with an aperiodic envelope. These states enable comparison between semiclassical Wigner function evolution and the commonly used Sundaram-Niu formalism. We show that semiclassical Wigner function evolution captures deformation-related dynamics, including the initial decay of oscillations, which the Sundaram-Niu formalism cannot describe by construction. Additionally, exact quantum evolution reveals partial relocalization of these single-branch almost coherent states, a phenomenon that cannot be captured by the semiclassical evolution.