Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review A

Weyl-Wigner formalism for rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables in quantum mechanics

João P. S. Bizarro

Published May 1, 1994• 70 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A comprehensive study is presented on the Weyl-Wigner formalism for rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables: the elements of kinematics are extended, the elements of dynamics are established, and the implications of rotational perodicity and angular-momentum quantization are investigated. Particular attention is paid to discreteness, and two of its consequences are emphasized: the importance of evenness and oddness, and the need to use two difference operators in a discrete domain, whereas one differential operator suffices in a continuous domain. These consequences are shown to strongly distinguish the Weyl-Wigner formalism for rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables from the well-known Weyl-Wigner formalism for Cartesian-position and linear-momentum variables. The point is made clear that the first of these formalisms cannot be regarded as a trivial and straightforward extension of the second. The rotational Wigner function is derived as the only bilinear form of the state vector that is real, has the natural invariances for rotational motion, and yields the correct distributions for the rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables as well as the appropriate expression for the transition probability between states. The conditions for its uniqueness are thus established. Its properties are described in detail and, in particular, its uniform boundedness is demonstrated. The rotational Wigner function and the associated correspondence between quantum operators and classical-like functions, as well as the relations they obey, are explored and are written so as to clearly exhibit the distinct contributions of evenness and oddness in the discrete domain of the angular-momentum eigenvalues, thus providing a most natural way to account for periodicity.Using the derivative, which acts on the continuous rotation-angle variable, and the forward and backward differences, which act on the discrete angular-momentum variable, the equation of motion for the rotational Wigner function is established. This equation is detailed for the following Hamiltonian forms: those that depend only on the angular-momentum variable, including, in particular, the free rotator, and those that are in the cosine of the rotation-angle variable. It is verified that the Weyl-Wigner formalism for rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables has the correct nonperiodic limit and that it properly reduces to the Weyl-Wigner formalism for Cartesian-position and linear-momentum variables. In order to illustrate the formalism, a careful analysis is carried out for the rotational Wigner function representing the energy eigenstates of a hindered rotator whose Hamiltonian is the sum of a term in the absolute value of the angular-momentum variable with a term in the cosine of the rotation-angle variable. For this hindered rotator, and within the approximation of a large absolute value of the angular-momentum variable, the equation of motion for the rotational Wigner function is solved for its stationary solutions, and the time-independent Schr\"odinger equation is also solved.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.49.3255

Related papers

Wigner functions for angle and orbital angular momentum: Operators and dynamics

H.A. Kastrup

Recently a paper on the construction of consistent Wigner functions for cylindrical phase spaces ${\mathbb{S}}^{1}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathbb{R}$, i.e., for the canonical pair angle and orbital angular momentum, was published [H. A. Kastrup, Phys. Rev. A 94, 062113 (2016)] in which the main properties of these functions are derived and discussed and their usefulness is illustrated with examples. The present paper is a continuation which compares the properties of the Wigner functions for cylindrical phase spaces with those of the well-known Wigner functions for planar phase spaces in more detail. Furthermore, the mutual (Weyl) correspondence between Hilbert space operators and their phase-space functions is discussed. The $\ensuremath{\star}$ product formalism is shown to be completely implementable. In addition, basic dynamical laws for Wigner and Moyal functions are derived as generalized Liouville and energy equations. They are very similar to those in the planar case but also show characteristic differences.

arXiv:1702.05615•Physical Review A•May 12, 2017•7 citations

Wigner functions for the pair angle and orbital angular momentum

H.A. Kastrup

The problem of constructing physically and mathematically well-defined Wigner functions for the canonical pair angle $\ensuremath{\theta}$ and angular momentum $p$ is solved. While a key element for the construction of Wigner functions for the planar phase space ${(q,p)\ensuremath{\in}{\mathbb{R}}^{2}}$ is the Heisenberg-Weyl group, the corresponding group for the cylindrical phase space ${(\ensuremath{\theta},p)\ensuremath{\in}{S}^{1}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathbb{R}}$ is the Euclidean group $E(2)$ of the plane and its unitary representations. Here the angle $\ensuremath{\theta}$ is replaced by the pair $(cos\ensuremath{\theta},sin\ensuremath{\theta})$, which corresponds uniquely to the points on the unit circle. The main structural properties of the Wigner functions for the planar and the cylindrical phase spaces are strikingly similar. A crucial role is played by the $sinc$ function, which provides the interpolation for the discontinuous quantized angular momenta in terms of the continuous classical ones, in accordance with the famous Whittaker cardinal function well known from interpolation and sampling theories. The quantum mechanical marginal distributions for the angle (continuous) and angular momentum (discontinuous) are, as usual, uniquely obtained by appropriate integrations of the $(\ensuremath{\theta},p)$ Wigner function. Among the examples discussed is an elementary system of simple cat states.

arXiv:1601.02520•Physical Review A•Dec 15, 2016•29 citations

The action-angle Wigner function: a discrete, finite and algebraic phase space formalism

Tugrul Hakioglu, E Tepedelenlioglu

The action-angle representation in quantum mechanics is conceptually quite different from its classical counterpart and motivates a canonical discretization of the phase space. In this work, a discrete and finite-dimensional phase space formalism, in which the phase space variables are discrete and the time is continuous, is developed and the fundamental properties of the discrete Weyl-Wigner-Moyal quantization are derived. The action-angle Wigner function is shown to exist in the semi-discrete limit of this quantization scheme. A comparison with other formalisms which are not explicitly based on canonical discretization is made. Fundamental properties that an action-angle phase space distribution respects are derived. The dynamical properties of the action-angle Wigner function are analysed for discrete and finite-dimensional model Hamiltonians. The limit of the discrete and finite-dimensional formalism including a discrete analogue of the Gaussian wavefunction spread, viz. the binomial wavepacket, is examined and shown by examples that standard (continuum) quantum mechanical results can be obtained as the dimension of the discrete phase space is extended to infinity.

Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General•Sep 1, 2000•13 citations

Wigner distribution for angle coordinates in quantum mechanics

Narasimhaiengar Mukunda

The method of Wigner distribution functions, and the Weyl correspondence between quantum and classical variables, are extended from the usual kind of canonically conjugate position and momentum operators to the case of an angle and angular momentum operator pair. The sense in which one has a description of quantum mechanics using classical phase-space language is much clarified by this extension.

American Journal of Physics•Feb 1, 1979•74 citations

Weyl Transform in Nonrelativistic Quantum Dynamics

Boris Leaf

The Weyl transform is applied in quantum dynamics to derive and extend Moyal's statistical theory of phase-space distributions for noncommuting coordinate and momentum operators. The distinction is made between Weyl transforms in Schrödinger and Heisenberg pictures; the general case of time-dependent Hamiltonians is considered. The Wigner function for the probability distribution in a phase space of Cartesian coordinates Q and momenta K propagates according to a conditional probability P(t, Q, K | t0, Q0, K0), which is exhibited as a Feynman path integral in phase space. Properties of P(t, Q, K | t0, Q0, K0) are developed; it is expressed in terms of the quantum generalization of the classical Liouville operator. The Weyl transform of a Heisenberg operator propagates according to P(t, Q0, K0 | t0, Q, K) which is also given as a Feynman path integral. An equation for the time evolution of Weyl transforms of Heisenberg operators is obtained, according to which the transform of Heisenberg coordinate and momentum operators obey a quantum form of Hamilton's equations of motion. If the initial density operator of the system commutes with the coordinate operator, then the state of the system is a mixture of pure coordinate states; the spectrum of the density operator in this case is continuous. For a Heisenberg operator AH(t) with Weyl transform AH(t, Q, K), the function A(t,Q)=∫dKAH(t,Q,K) is the expectation at time t of the dynamical property for a quantum system initially in a pure state of coordinate Q; it is the quantum-mechanical generalization of the dynamical property of the system along the classical trajectory in configuration space at time t. The probability amplitude for the time dependence of A(t,Q) can be expressed as a Feynman path integral with a Heisenberg Lagrangian. The amplitude of the conditional probability P(t, Q | t0, Q0) considered by Feynman is expressed as a path integral with a Schrödinger Lagrangian. The velocity in the Heisenberg Lagrangian is the negative of that in the Schrödinger Lagrangian of Feynman, but it agrees with the velocity appearing in the Hamiltonian equations. It is the Heisenberg Lagrangian that is the Lagrangian of classical dynamics. For a particle whose potential energy is a function of position, a quantum form of Newton's second law is obtained. An extension of the formalism to non-Cartesian coordinate systems is given.

Journal of Mathematical Physics•May 1, 1968•46 citations

Wigner representation of rotational motion

K. A. Nasyrov

Wigner representations of the rotational motion of a rotator or spherical top, as well as symmetrical and arbitrary tops are presented. The unique form of the transformations to these representations is derived using a set of natural requirements. As a particular case of these representations, a Wigner representation of angular momentum orientation is found. Relations between this representation and those of irreducible tensor operators and coherent states are established. For large angular momentum l >>1, rough equations for the Wigner functions are derived, and it is shown that they are similar to the well known equation for the Wigner function for translational motion.

Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General•Sep 7, 1999•14 citations
A comprehensive study is presented on the Weyl-Wigner formalism for rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables: the elements of kinematics are extended, the elements of dynamics are established, and the implications of rotational perodicity and angular-momentum quantization are investigated. Particular attention is paid to discreteness, and two of its consequences are emphasized: the importance of evenness and oddness, and the need to use two difference operators in a discrete domain, whereas one differential operator suffices in a continuous domain. These consequences are shown to strongly distinguish the Weyl-Wigner formalism for rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables from the well-known Weyl-Wigner formalism for Cartesian-position and linear-momentum variables. The point is made clear that the first of these formalisms cannot be regarded as a trivial and straightforward extension of the second. The rotational Wigner function is derived as the only bilinear form of the state vector that is real, has the natural invariances for rotational motion, and yields the correct distributions for the rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables as well as the appropriate expression for the transition probability between states. The conditions for its uniqueness are thus established. Its properties are described in detail and, in particular, its uniform boundedness is demonstrated. The rotational Wigner function and the associated correspondence between quantum operators and classical-like functions, as well as the relations they obey, are explored and are written so as to clearly exhibit the distinct contributions of evenness and oddness in the discrete domain of the angular-momentum eigenvalues, thus providing a most natural way to account for periodicity.Using the derivative, which acts on the continuous rotation-angle variable, and the forward and backward differences, which act on the discrete angular-momentum variable, the equation of motion for the rotational Wigner function is established. This equation is detailed for the following Hamiltonian forms: those that depend only on the angular-momentum variable, including, in particular, the free rotator, and those that are in the cosine of the rotation-angle variable. It is verified that the Weyl-Wigner formalism for rotation-angle and angular-momentum variables has the correct nonperiodic limit and that it properly reduces to the Weyl-Wigner formalism for Cartesian-position and linear-momentum variables. In order to illustrate the formalism, a careful analysis is carried out for the rotational Wigner function representing the energy eigenstates of a hindered rotator whose Hamiltonian is the sum of a term in the absolute value of the angular-momentum variable with a term in the cosine of the rotation-angle variable. For this hindered rotator, and within the approximation of a large absolute value of the angular-momentum variable, the equation of motion for the rotational Wigner function is solved for its stationary solutions, and the time-independent Schr"odinger equation is also solved.
Recently a paper on the construction of consistent Wigner functions for cylindrical phase spaces ${\mathbb{S}}^{1}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathbb{R}$, i.e., for the canonical pair angle and orbital angular momentum, was published [H. A. Kastrup, Phys. Rev. A 94, 062113 (2016)] in which the main properties of these functions are derived and discussed and their usefulness is illustrated with examples. The present paper is a continuation which compares the properties of the Wigner functions for cylindrical phase spaces with those of the well-known Wigner functions for planar phase spaces in more detail. Furthermore, the mutual (Weyl) correspondence between Hilbert space operators and their phase-space functions is discussed. The $\ensuremath{\star}$ product formalism is shown to be completely implementable. In addition, basic dynamical laws for Wigner and Moyal functions are derived as generalized Liouville and energy equations. They are very similar to those in the planar case but also show characteristic differences.
The problem of constructing physically and mathematically well-defined Wigner functions for the canonical pair angle $\ensuremath{\theta}$ and angular momentum ppp is solved. While a key element for the construction of Wigner functions for the planar phase space ${(q,p)\ensuremath{\in}{\mathbb{R}}^{2}}$ is the Heisenberg-Weyl group, the corresponding group for the cylindrical phase space ${(\ensuremath{\theta},p)\ensuremath{\in}{S}^{1}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathbb{R}}$ is the Euclidean group E(2)E(2)E(2) of the plane and its unitary representations. Here the angle $\ensuremath{\theta}$ is replaced by the pair $(cos\ensuremath{\theta},sin\ensuremath{\theta})$, which corresponds uniquely to the points on the unit circle. The main structural properties of the Wigner functions for the planar and the cylindrical phase spaces are strikingly similar. A crucial role is played by the sincsincsinc function, which provides the interpolation for the discontinuous quantized angular momenta in terms of the continuous classical ones, in accordance with the famous Whittaker cardinal function well known from interpolation and sampling theories. The quantum mechanical marginal distributions for the angle (continuous) and angular momentum (discontinuous) are, as usual, uniquely obtained by appropriate integrations of the $(\ensuremath{\theta},p)$ Wigner function. Among the examples discussed is an elementary system of simple cat states.
The action-angle representation in quantum mechanics is conceptually quite different from its classical counterpart and motivates a canonical discretization of the phase space. In this work, a discrete and finite-dimensional phase space formalism, in which the phase space variables are discrete and the time is continuous, is developed and the fundamental properties of the discrete Weyl-Wigner-Moyal quantization are derived. The action-angle Wigner function is shown to exist in the semi-discrete limit of this quantization scheme. A comparison with other formalisms which are not explicitly based on canonical discretization is made. Fundamental properties that an action-angle phase space distribution respects are derived. The dynamical properties of the action-angle Wigner function are analysed for discrete and finite-dimensional model Hamiltonians. The limit of the discrete and finite-dimensional formalism including a discrete analogue of the Gaussian wavefunction spread, viz. the binomial wavepacket, is examined and shown by examples that standard (continuum) quantum mechanical results can be obtained as the dimension of the discrete phase space is extended to infinity.
The Weyl transform is applied in quantum dynamics to derive and extend Moyal's statistical theory of phase-space distributions for noncommuting coordinate and momentum operators. The distinction is made between Weyl transforms in Schrödinger and Heisenberg pictures; the general case of time-dependent Hamiltonians is considered. The Wigner function for the probability distribution in a phase space of Cartesian coordinates Q and momenta K propagates according to a conditional probability P(t, Q, K | t0, Q0, K0), which is exhibited as a Feynman path integral in phase space. Properties of P(t, Q, K | t0, Q0, K0) are developed; it is expressed in terms of the quantum generalization of the classical Liouville operator. The Weyl transform of a Heisenberg operator propagates according to P(t, Q0, K0 | t0, Q, K) which is also given as a Feynman path integral. An equation for the time evolution of Weyl transforms of Heisenberg operators is obtained, according to which the transform of Heisenberg coordinate and momentum operators obey a quantum form of Hamilton's equations of motion. If the initial density operator of the system commutes with the coordinate operator, then the state of the system is a mixture of pure coordinate states; the spectrum of the density operator in this case is continuous. For a Heisenberg operator AH(t) with Weyl transform AH(t, Q, K), the function A(t,Q)=∫dKAH(t,Q,K) is the expectation at time t of the dynamical property for a quantum system initially in a pure state of coordinate Q; it is the quantum-mechanical generalization of the dynamical property of the system along the classical trajectory in configuration space at time t. The probability amplitude for the time dependence of A(t,Q) can be expressed as a Feynman path integral with a Heisenberg Lagrangian. The amplitude of the conditional probability P(t, Q | t0, Q0) considered by Feynman is expressed as a path integral with a Schrödinger Lagrangian. The velocity in the Heisenberg Lagrangian is the negative of that in the Schrödinger Lagrangian of Feynman, but it agrees with the velocity appearing in the Hamiltonian equations. It is the Heisenberg Lagrangian that is the Lagrangian of classical dynamics. For a particle whose potential energy is a function of position, a quantum form of Newton's second law is obtained. An extension of the formalism to non-Cartesian coordinate systems is given.
Wigner representations of the rotational motion of a rotator or spherical top, as well as symmetrical and arbitrary tops are presented. The unique form of the transformations to these representations is derived using a set of natural requirements. As a particular case of these representations, a Wigner representation of angular momentum orientation is found. Relations between this representation and those of irreducible tensor operators and coherent states are established. For large angular momentum l >>1, rough equations for the Wigner functions are derived, and it is shown that they are similar to the well known equation for the Wigner function for translational motion.