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Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General

Relativistic formulation of quantum-state diffusion

Heinz‐Peter Breuer, Francesco Petruccione

Published Jan 9, 1998• 22 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A relativistic generalization of the quantum-state diffusion model is developed. The model describes a Dirac electron which is coupled to an external electromagnetic field and a dissipative environment. A relativistically covariant stochastic Dirac equation is obtained by regarding the state vector as a functional on a certain set of spacelike hypersurfaces in Minkowski space and by the definition of an appropriate Hilbert bundle on this set. The integrability condition of the stochastic process and the corresponding covariant density matrix equation are derived. Further, the relativistic equations governing the dynamical state-vector localization are deduced.

DOI
10.1088/0305-4470/31/1/009

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A relativistic generalization of the quantum-state diffusion model is developed. The model describes a Dirac electron which is coupled to an external electromagnetic field and a dissipative environment. A relativistically covariant stochastic Dirac equation is obtained by regarding the state vector as a functional on a certain set of spacelike hypersurfaces in Minkowski space and by the definition of an appropriate Hilbert bundle on this set. The integrability condition of the stochastic process and the corresponding covariant density matrix equation are derived. Further, the relativistic equations governing the dynamical state-vector localization are deduced.
We propose a fibre bundle formulation of the mathematical base of relativistic quantum mechanics. At the present stage the bundle form of the theory is equivalent to its conventional one, but it admits new types of generalizations in different directions. In the bundle description the wavefunctions are replaced with (state) sections (covariant approach) or liftings of paths (equivalently: sections along paths) (time-dependent approach) of a suitably chosen vector bundle over space-time whose (standard) fibre is the space of the wavefunctions. Now the quantum evolution is described as a linear transportation of the state sections/liftings in the (total) bundle space. The equations of these transportations turn to be the bundle versions of the corresponding relativistic wave equations. Connections between the (retarded) Green functions of these equations and the evolution operators and transports are found. Especially the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations are considered.
This paper extends the stochastic electrodynamic framework of Papers 1, 2, and 3 [1–3] to relativistic quantum mechanics, deriving the Dirac equation from the relativistic Coulomb field. The non-relativistic Brownian motion of Paper 1 is generalised to a four-dimensional stochastic process in Minkowski spacetime, parameterised by proper time τ . The relativistic diffusion coefficient isD4D = ℏ/m—exactly twice the non-relativistic value ℏ/2m—arising from the additional contribution of the temporal component of the four-dimensional Wiener process. The covariant zero-point field spectral tensor Sμν(ω) = (ℏω^3/6π^2ϵ0c^3)gμν is derived from the relativistic Coulomb field through the Lorentz-covariant Einstein–Hopf detailed balance and the ergodic theorem, whose applicability to the SED electron-vacuum system is proved in Paper 3 [3]. Relativistic stochastic optimal control gives the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation in four-dimensional configuration space, which yields the Klein–Gordon equation for spin-0 particles through the relativistic Itô correction (ℏ/2m)□. Linearisation of the relativistic Lagrangian −mc√uμuμ via Dirac matrices γμ satisfying {γμ, γν} = 2gμν converts the second-order HJB equation into a first-order equation—the Dirac equation: (iℏγμ∂μ−eγμAμ/c−mc)ψ = 0. The central new result is that spin- 1/2 is not introduced by the linearisation: it is already present in the geometry of the four-dimensional stochastic path. The mass-shell constraint uμuμ = −c^2 forces the relativistic Brownian path to be helical, with radius ℏ/mc and angular frequency 2mc^2/ℏ (Zitterbewegung). The angular momentum of this helix is ℏ/2 (spin- 1/2 ) and the magnetic moment gives g = 2—both following from the Coulomb field without additional assumptions. The linearisation then finds the unique first-order wave equation consistent with this pre-existing helical spin structure. The four-component Dirac spinor encodes four degrees of freedom already determined by the stochastic path: two spin states (helix handedness) and two time directions (particle/antiparticle).
We propose a fibre bundle formulation of the mathematical base of relativistic quantum mechanics. At the present stage the bundle form of the theory is equivalent to its conventional one, but it admits new types of generalizations in different directions. In the present, second, part of our investigation, we consider a covariant approach to bundle description of relativistic quantum mechanics. In it the wavefunctions are replaced with (state) sections of a suitably chosen vector bundle over space-time whose (standard) fibre is the space of the wavefunctions. Now the quantum evolution is described as a linear transportation (by means of the transport along the identity map of the space\nobreakdash-time) of the state sections in the (total) bundle space. Connections between the (retarded) Green functions of the relativistic wave equations and the evolution operators and transports are found. Especially the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations are considered.
The stochastic theory of relativistic quantum mechanics presented here is modelled on the one that has been proposed previously and that was claimed to be a promising substitute to the orthodox theory in the non-relativistic domain. So it also relies heavily upon the theory of stochastic processes, with its definitions, theorems and specific vocabulary as well. Its main hypothesis states indeed that the classical trajectories of the particles are identical to the sample functions of a diffusion Markov process, whose conditional probability density is proposed as a substitute for the wave function. Along the way, we introduce ad hoc hypotheses for the sole reason that they facilitate and even make possible the further development of the theory. These and the so-called Nelson equations are used to determine the drift vectors and the diffusion tensor characteristic of such a process. It is then possible to write down the Fokker-Planck and Kolmogorov equations that can be used to determine the normal and conditional probability densities. This logical sequence of steps leads to the solution of specific problems and we apply it to the special case of the free particle.
In this paper, we develop an action formulation of stochastic dynamics in the Hilbert space. In this formulation, the quantum theory of random unitary evolution is easily reconciled with special relativity. We generalize the Wiener process into 1+31+31+3-dimensional spacetime, and then define a scalar random field which keeps invariant under Lorentz transformations. By adding to the action of quantum field theory a coupling term between random and quantum fields, we obtain a random-number action which has the statistical spacetime translation and Lorentz symmetries. The canonical quantization of the theory results in a Lorentz-invariant equation of motion for the state vector or density matrix. We derive the path integral formula of SSS matrix, based on which we develop a diagrammatic technique for doing the calculation. We find the diagrammatic rules for both the stochastic free field theory and stochastic ${\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}$ theory. The Lorentz invariance of the random SSS matrix is strictly proved by using the diagrammatic technique. We then develop a diagrammatic technique for calculating the density matrix of final quantum states after scattering. In the absence of interaction, we obtain the exact expressions of both SSS matrix and density matrix. In the presence of interaction, we prove a simple relation between the density matrices of stochastic and conventional ${\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}$ theory. Our formalism leads to an ultraviolet divergence that has a similar origin as that in quantum field theory. The divergence can be canceled by renormalizing the coupling strength to random field. We prove that the stochastic quantum field theory is renormalizable even in the presence of interaction. In the models with a linear coupling between random and quantum fields, the random field excites particles out of the vacuum, driving the Universe towards an infinite-temperature state. The number of excited particles follows the Poisson distribution. The collision between particles is not affected by the random field. But the signals of colliding particles are gradually covered by the background excitations caused by random field.
The new scheme of stochastic quantization is proposed. This quantization procedure is equivalent to the deformation of an algebra of observables in the manner of deformation quantization with an imaginary deformation parameter (the Planck constant). We apply this method to the models of nonrelativistic and relativistic particles interacting with an electromagnetic field. In the first case we establish the equivalence of such a quantization to the Fokker-Planck equation with a special force. The application of the proposed quantization procedure to the model of a relativistic particle results in a relativistic generalization of the Fokker-Planck equation in the coordinate space, which in the absence of the electromagnetic field reduces to the relativistic diffusion (heat) equation. The stationary probability distribution functions for a stochastically quantized particle diffusing under a barrier and a particle in the potential of a harmonic oscillator are derived.