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Continuous quantum measurements and path integrals

Михаил Борисович Менский

Published Jan 1, 1993• 101 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Preface INTRODUCTION TO CONTINUOUS QUANTUM MEASUREMENTS Quantum and Classical Systems Amplitudes and Alternatives Paths and Continuous Measurements The Action Uncertainty Principle INSTANTANEOUS AND SEQUENTIAL MEASUREMENTS Measurement of a Quantum System Quantum Zeno Paradox Approximate and Sequential Measurements TECHNIQUE OF PATH INTEGRALS Propagators and Path Integrals Definition of a Path Integral The Path Integral for an Oscillator Gaussian Path Integrals CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT AND EVOLUTION OF THE MEASURED SYSTEM The Measurement Amplitude Effective Lagrangian Evolution of a Quantum System Subject to Continuous Measurement Scattering by the Measuring Medium CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENTS OF OSCILLATORS Position Monitoring (Path measurement) Estimation of Force Acting on an Oscillator Spectral Measurements of an Oscillator Evolution of a Harmonic Oscillator Subject to Spectral Measurement Measurement of a Path of a Nonlinear Oscillator CONTINUOUS QUANTUM NONDEMOLITION MEASUREMENTS Quantum Nondemolition Measurements Monitoring of Linear Momentum Velocity versus Momentum QND Measurements of Oscillators MEASUREMENT OF AN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD Exposition of the Method Measurement Amplitude Analysis of the Results Another Definition of the Field Strength Explicit Model of a Meter TIME IN QUANTUM COSMOLOGY Statement of the Problem Measurements in Quantum Cosmology Minisuperspace without Measurement Minisuperspace under Measurement Analysis of the results Concluding Remarks THE ACTION UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE Uncertainties in Continuous Measurements Classical Regime of Measurements Quantum Regime and AUP AUP and Equations of Motion Examples from Quantum Mechanics Quantum Nondemolition Measurements AUP in Quantum Gravity Concluding Remarks GROUP-THEORETICAL STRUCTURE OF QUANTUM CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENTS Evolution under Measurement Transverse Group for Alternatives Longitudinal Semigroup for Evolution Unification of Transverse and Longitudinal Structures Concluding Remarks PATHS AND MEASUREMENTS: FURTHER DEVELOPMENT Quantum and Classical Features in Continuous Measurement The Two-Slit Experiment Wave-Particle Dualism Conceptual Problems References Index

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List of Figures. Preface. 1. Introduction. I: The Nature of Quantum Measurements. 2. The Physics Behind Quantum Measurements. 3. Measurement induced uncertainties. II: Continuous Quantum Measurements: Theory. 4. Continuous Quantum Measurements: The General Notion. 5. Fuzzy Continuous Measurements: Phenomenology. 6. Restricted Path Integrals: General Features. III: Continuous Quantum Measurements: Applications. 7. The Monitoring of Energy. 8. Monitoring by a series of observations. 9. The Quantum Zeno effect in a passive setup. IV: Conceptual Problems and Prospects. 10. RPI and the Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics. 11. Conclusion: New Prospects. A. The Formalism of Quantum Mechanics. References. Index.
This chapter discusses the type of measurement in the framework of the path-integral method. It begins from the simplest case of measurement of the linear momentum of a free particle, which allows one to see all the typical features characteristic of quantum nondemolition (QND) measurements. The idea of QND measurement is to measure a variable such that the unavoidable disturbance of the complementary one does not disturb the evolution of the chosen variable. The weight factor describes monitoring of the momentum, which for a free particle turns out to be a QND variable. This can be seen from the formula for the probability distribution of the measurement results. Usual relation between linear momentum and velocity is violated in the modified dynamics. From the physical point of view this is a consequence of measurement, of the influence of a measuring device.
Preface * Part I. Introductory Concepts in Quantum Theory * Units of Measurement * Quantum Mechanics---Some Remarks and Themes * Equations of Motion in Classical Mechanics * Quantization and the Schrodinger Equation * Hypergeometric Equations and Special Functions * Hydrogen-like Atoms * Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle * Group Representations and Selection Rules * A Charged Particle in an Electro-magnetic Field * Spin Wave Functions * Introduction to Multi-electron Atoms * Part II. Some Selected Topics * Fresnel Integrals and Feynman Integrals * Path Integral for the Harmonic Oscillator * Euclidean Path Integrals * The Density Matrix and Partition Function * Zeta Regularization * Helmholtz Free Energy and the Selberg Trace Formula * The Zeta Function of a Product * Two Guest Lectures * Some Further Electron Configurations * Mendeleev Periodic Table * Another Example of Zeta Regularization * Integral Evaluation * Some Informal Comments on QFT * References * Index
Preface. 1. Origins of Quantum Physics. 1.1 Historical Note. 1.2 Particle Aspect of Radiation. 1.3 Wave Aspect of Particles. 1.4 Particles versus Waves. 1.5 Indeterministic Nature of the Microphysical World. 1.6 Atomic Transitions and Spectroscopy. 1.7 Quantization Rules. 1.8 Wave Packets. 1.9 Concluding Remarks. 1.10 Solved Problems. Exercises. 2. Mathematical Tools of Quantum Mechanics. 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 The Hilbert Space and Wave Functions. 2.3 Dirac Notation. 2.4 Operators. 2.5 Representation in Discrete Bases. 2.6 Representation in Continuous Bases. 2.7 Matrix and Wave Mechanics. 2.8 Concluding Remarks. 2.9 Solved Problems. Exercises. 3. Postulates of Quantum Mechanics. 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 The Basic Postulates of Quantum Mechanics. 3.3 The State of a System. 3.4 Observables and Operators. 3.5 Measurement in Quantum Mechanics. 3.6 Time Evolution of the System's State. 3.7 Symmetries and Conservation Laws. 3.8 Connecting Quantum to Classical Mechanics. 3.9 Solved Problems. Exercises. 4. One-Dimensional Problems. 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 Properties of One-Dimensional Motion. 4.3 The Free Particle: Continuous States. 4.4 The Potential Step. 4.5 The Potential Barrier and Well. 4.6 The Infinite Square Well Potential. 4.7 The Finite Square Well Potential. 4.8 The Harmonic Oscillator. 4.9 Numerical Solution of the Schrodinger Equation. 4.10 Solved Problems. Exercises. 5. Angular Momentum. 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Orbital Angular Momentum. 5.3 General Formalism of Angular Momentum. 5.4 Matrix Representation of Angular Momentum. 5.5 Geometrical Representation of Angular Momentum. 5.6 Spin Angular Momentum. 5.7 Eigen functions of Orbital Angular Momentum. 5.8 Solved Problems. Exercises. 6. Three-Dimensional Problems. 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 3D Problems in Cartesian Coordinates. 6.3 3D Problems in Spherical Coordinates. 6.4 Concluding Remarks. 6.5 Solved Problems. Exercises. 7. Rotations and Addition of Angular Momenta. 7.1 Rotations in Classical Physics. 7.2 Rotations in Quantum Mechanics. 7.3 Addition of Angular Momenta. 7.4 Scalar, Vector and Tensor Operators. 7.5 Solved Problems. Exercises. 8. Identical Particles. 8.1 Many-Particle Systems. 8.2 Systems of Identical Particles. 8.3 The Pauli Exclusion Principle. 8.4 The Exclusion Principle and the Periodic Table. 8.5 Solved Problems. Exercises. 9. Approximation Methods for Stationary States. 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Time-Independent Perturbation Theory. 9.3 The Variational Method. 9.4 The Wentzel Kramers Brillou in Method. 9.5 Concluding Remarks. 9.6 Solved Problems. Exercises. 10. Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory. 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 The Pictures of Quantum Mechanics. 10.3 Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory. 10.4 Adiabatic and Sudden Approximations. 10.5 Interaction of Atoms with Radiation. 10.6 Solved Problems. Exercises. 11. Scattering Theory. 11.1 Scattering and Cross Section. 11.2 Scattering Amplitude of Spinless Particles. 11.3 The Born Approximation. 11.4 Partial Wave Analysis. 11.5 Scattering of Identical Particles. 11.6 Solved Problems. Exercises. A. The Delta Function. A.1 One-Dimensional Delta Function. A.2 Three-Dimensional Delta Function. B. Angular Momentum in Spherical Coordinates. B.1 Derivation of Some General. B.2 Gradient and Laplacianin Spherical Coordinates. B.3 Angular Momentum in Spherical Coordinates. C. Computer Code for Solving the Schrodinger Equation. Index.
Preface List of Illustrations Open Fundamental Questions of Limits to Information in the Quantum Measurement of a Single System Impossibility of Determining the Unknown Quantum Wavefunction of a Single System Quantum Nondemolition (QND) Measurements of a Single System Measurements without Entanglement of a Single Quantum System Adiabatic Measurements of a Single Quantum System Quantum Zeno Effect of a Single System Fundamental Quantum Limit to External Force Detection via Monitoring a Single Harmonic Oscillator (or Free Mass) Established Limits to Information in the Quantum Measurement of a Single System Bibliography Index.
In recent years advances in technology, especially in the field of quantum optics, have made possible repetitive quantum measurements on a single quantum object, an issue that remained an academic curiosity until 25 years ago. This book, first published in 1992, provides a tutorial introduction to this field. The book is coauthored by an experimentalist and a theorist: the former - Braginsky - was the first experimentalist after Weber to develop techniques for gravitational-wave detection; the latter - Khalili - contributed with Braginsky to develop the formal apparatus to describe the experimental devices for measurement schemes. After the first part, intended as a pedagogical appendix of a standard textbook, and devoted to the modern approach to quantum measurement, the second part is a review of some new methods of quantum measurements for macroscopic objects. The central problem is the detection of a small time-dependent classical force that acts on a quantum probe. This is the typical situation that occurs in gravitational-wave detection, where the probe is a macroscopic moving mass weakly coupled to a classical wave. The problem of gravitational-wave detection and the limitation to accuracy of measurement of position of a moving mass - the so-called standard quantum limit (SQL), which is a consequence of the random back-action of the measuring device on the mass - triggered the development of new quantum nondemolition (QND) measurements, i.e. measurements where the measured quantity is left unperturbed after the measurement. SQL and QND measurements (both Braginsky inventions) permeate the whole book as a transversal chapter. The aim is to give simple criteria and recipes to design a measuring device in order to optimize the accuracy of the measurement, and, at the same time, to minimize the perturbation that the device exerts on the measured object, so that it will not interfere with successive measurements on the same object. The continuous measurements are regarded as the limiting case of a sequence of repeated discrete measurements, when the interval between the measurements is much smaller than the characteristic time-scale on which the measured quantity changes. The analysis of continuous measurements give to the authors the opportunity to illustrate the watchdog effect and the quantum Zeno paradox (real effect), while deriving the master equation for the evolution of the object state. Then, an entire chapter is devoted to the analysis of devices for continuous measurement of small mechanical displacements. The book is easy to understand, and can serve as a complementary reading for graduate level courses in quantum mechanics. The material of the book can be useful for all scientists and engineers involved in researches related to high-sensitive quantum measurements, quantum information theory and quantum computation. The reader, however, should be aware that this book presents a very particular point of view, with no room left to very relevant concepts in quantum measurement theory, as, for example, squeezing, quantum amplification, joint-measurements of non-commuting observables and phase-measurements. More regrettably, the list of references is unsatisfactorily incomplete, with no mention of alternative developments, for example, regarding the SQL for measuring the position of a free mass. Here, schemes to breach the SQL have been proposed in the literature (Yuen H P 1983 Phys. Rev. Lett. 51 719, Ozawa M 1988 Phys. Rev. Lett. 60 385), whereas from the book one could conclude that such SQL would be unsurpassable. Also, a criticism is in order of the way of deriving some SQL's, based solely on the Heisenberg relation, even in consideration that the aim of such derivations is mostly pedagogical.