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Journal of Applied Probability

A quantum-mechanical central limit theorem

C. D. Cushen, R. L. Hudson

Published Sep 1, 1971• 155 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The concepts of distribution operator, stochastic independence, convergence in distribution and normal distribution are formulated for pairs of canonically conjugate quantum-mechanical momentum and position operators. It is shown that if the sequence (pn, qn), n = 1, 2, ··· is stochastically independent and identically distributed with finite covariance and zero mean then the sequence of pairs of canonical observables converges in distribution to a normal limit distribution.

DOI
10.1017/s0021900200035555

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The concepts of distribution operator, stochastic independence, convergence in distribution and normal distribution are formulated for pairs of canonically conjugate quantum-mechanical momentum and position operators. It is shown that if the sequence (pn, qn), n = 1, 2, ··· is stochastically independent and identically distributed with finite covariance and zero mean then the sequence of pairs of canonical observables converges in distribution to a normal limit distribution.
The notion of a U-statistic for an n-tuple of identical quantum systems is introduced in analogy to the classical (commutative) case: given a self-adjoint “kernel” K acting on (Cd)⊗r with r<n, we define the symmetric operator Un=(nr)∑βK(β) with K(β) being the kernel acting on the subset β of {1,…,n}. If the systems are prepared in the product state ρ⊗n, it is shown that the sequence of properly normalized U-statistics converges in moments to a linear combination of Hermite polynomials in canonical variables of a canonical commutation relation algebra defined through the quantum central limit theorem. In the special cases of nondegenerate kernels and kernels of order of 2, it is shown that the convergence holds in the stronger distribution sense. Two types of applications in quantum statistics are described: testing beyond the two simple hypotheses scenario and quantum metrology with interacting Hamiltonians.
A discrete quantum process is represented by a sequence of quantum operations, which are completely positive maps that are not necessarily trace preserving. We consider quantum processes that are obtained by repeated iterations of a quantum operation with noise. Such ergodic quantum processes generalize independent quantum processes. An ergodic theorem describing convergence to equilibrium for a general class of such processes has been recently obtained by Movassagh and Schenker. Under irreducibility and mixing conditions, we obtain a central limit type theorem describing fluctuations around the ergodic limit.
Open Quantum Random Walks, as developed in \cite{APSS}, are a quantum generalization of Markov chains on finite graphs or on lattices. These random walks are typically quantum in their behavior, step by step, but they seem to show up a rather classical asymptotic behavior, as opposed to the quantum random walks usually considered in Quantum Information Theory (such as the well-known Hadamard random walk). Typically, in the case of Open Quantum Random Walks on lattices, their distribution seems to always converge to a Gaussian distribution or a mixture of Gaussian distributions. In the case of nearest neighbors homogeneous Open Quantum Random Walks on $\ZZ^d$ we prove such a Central Limit Theorem, in the case where only one Gaussian distribution appears in the limit. Through the quantum trajectory point of view on quantum master equations, we transform the problem into studying a certain functional of a Markov chain on $\ZZ^d$ times the Banach space of quantum states. The main difficulty is that we know nothing about the invariant measures of this Markov chain, even their existence. Surprisingly enough, we are able to produce a Central Limit Theorem with explicit drift and explicit covariance matrix. The interesting point which appears with our construction and result is that it applies actually to a wider setup: it provides a Central Limit Theorem for the sequence of recordings of the quantum trajectories associated to any completely positive map. This is what we show and develop as an application of our result. In a second step we are able to extend our Central Limit Theorem to the case of several asymptotic Gaussians, in the case where the operator coefficients of the quantum walk are block-diagonal in a common basis.
This is a personal survey of aspects of quantum probability related to the Heisenberg commutation relation for canonical pairs. Using the failure, in general, of non-negativity of the Wigner distribution for canonical pairs to motivate a more satisfactory quantum notion of joint distribution, we visit a central limit theorem for such pairs and a resulting family of quantum planar Brownian motions which deform the classical planar Brownian motion, together with a corresponding family of quantum stochastic areas.This article is part of the themed issue 'Hilbert's sixth problem'.