A treatise on Wigner distributions : from particles and polarons to fields

M Levanda, V. Fleurov

Arthur S. Wightman

Sun Kyung Lee, M S Kim, Carola Szewc +1 more

We report on the theoretical investigation of Wigner distribution function (WDF) reconstruction of the motional quantum state of large molecules in de Broglie interference. De Broglie interference of fullerenes and as the like already proves the wavelike behaviour of these heavy particles, while we aim to extract more quantitative information about the superposition quantum state in motion. We simulate the reconstruction of the WDF numerically based on an analytic probability distribution and investigate its properties by variation of parameters, which are relevant for the experiment. Even though the WDF described in the near-field experiment cannot be reconstructed completely, we observe negativity even in the partially reconstructed WDF. We further consider incoherent factors to simulate the experimental situation such as a finite number of slits, collimation, and particle-slit van der Waals interaction. From this we find experimental conditions to reconstruct the WDF from Talbot interference fringes in molecule Talbot-Lau interferometry.

Sh. M. Nagiyev

We construct phase-space representations for a relativistic particle in both a constant and a time-dependent linear potential. We obtain explicit expressions for the Wigner distribution functions for these systems and find the correct nonrelativistic limit and free-particle limit for these functions. We derive the relativistic dynamical equation governing the time development of the Wigner distribution function and relativistic equation for the Wigner distribution function of stationary states and also calculate the amplitudes of transitions between energy states.

Hartmut O. Bartelt, Karl‐Heinz Brenner, Adolf W. Lohmann

Leon W. Cohen, Marian O. Scully

The Wigner distribution has proven to be a useful tool in many quantum problems requiring a joint distribution of position and momentum. In the present paper we develop a joint distribution for spin components within the spirit of the Wigner distribution. This distribution provides an insight into the quantum theory of measurement. We also discuss how one may write joint distributions for two arbitrary noncommuting operators.