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Journal of Mathematical Physics

Stochastic sequential reduction of commutative Hamiltonians

Levent Ali Mengütürk, Murat Cahit Mengütürk

Published Oct 1, 2020• 7 citations

Abstract

This paper introduces a class of stochastic processes constructed by conditioning càdlàg processes to take a predetermined set of marginal laws at fixed points in time. We collectively refer to the elements of this class of processes as random n-bridges (RnBs), where n refers to the cardinality of the set of conditioning laws, which can be chosen arbitrarily. We prove that if the underlying càdlàg process is Markov, then its RnB is Markov for n = 1 and has a particular Markov-like property for n > 1. As a canonical subclass, we construct Brownian RnBs (BRnBs) and provide their anticipative representation as well as their non-anticipative semimartingale representation. This motivates the second part of this paper, wherein we apply BRnBs to describe an energy-based state reduction in a composite quantum system involving a set of commuting observables measured successively at different times. The highly tractable so-called energy-based quantum state reduction models are significant in their role as the most important alternative to the popular CLS model. We ask the random variables composing the anticipative form of a BRnB to take the eigenvalues of a set of compatible Hamiltonians and provide a new stochastic Schrödinger evolution on a complex Hilbert space that models sequential reduction dynamics of the eigenstates through a single wave function. By doing so, we also extend the Brody–Hughston finite-time collapse model to a many-body setup with sequential measurements.

DOI: 10.1063/5.0004810

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The paper develops a finite-time quantum state reduction framework via the use of Lévy random bridges (LRBs) that can be understood as Doob h-transformations on Lévy processes. Building upon the non-anticipative semimartingale representation of LRBs, we propose a family of energy-driven stochastic Schrödinger equations that go beyond the purely-continuous Brownian motion setup, and enter the scope of quantum systems involving discontinuities and heavy-tails. In doing so, we allow collapse dynamics to be governed intrinsically by the Markovian statistics of LRBs. The framework can host progressively convoluted stochastic state reduction dynamics in a tractable way and encapsulates jump-diffusion Schrödinger evolutions by use of the Lévy-Itô decomposition. Our construct motivates the usage of more general Markov processes and Doob h-transformations in producing consistent wave function collapse dynamics in finite-time.

In standard nonrelativistic quantum mechanics the expectation of the energy is a conserved quantity. It is possible to extend the dynamical law associated with the evolution of a quantum state consistently to include a nonlinear stochastic component, while respecting the conservation law. According to the dynamics thus obtained, referred to as the energy-based stochastic Schrödinger equation, an arbitrary initial state collapses spontaneously to one of the energy eigenstates, thus describing the phenomenon of quantum state reduction. In this paper, two such models are investigated: one that achieves state reduction in infinite time and the other in finite time. The properties of the associated energy expectation process and the energy variance process are worked out in detail. By use of a novel application of a nonlinear filtering method, closed-form solutions—algebraic in character and involving no integration—are obtained of both these models. In each case, the solution is expressed in terms of a random variable representing the terminal energy of the system and an independent noise process. With these solutions at hand it is possible to simulate explicitly the dynamics of the quantum states of complicated physical systems.

The energy-based stochastic extension of the Schrodinger equation is a rather special nonlinear stochastic differential equation on Hilbert space, involving a single free parameter, that has been shown to be very useful for modeling the phenomenon of quantum state reduction. Here we construct a general closed form solution to this equation, for any given initial condition, in terms of a random variable representing the terminal value of the energy and an independent Brownian motion. The solution is essentially algebraic in character, involving no integration, and is thus suitable as a basis for efficient simulation studies of state reduction in complex systems.

In standard nonrelativistic quantum mechanics the expectation of the energy is a conserved quantity. It is possible to extend the dynamical law associated with the evolution of a quantum state consistently to include a nonlinear stochastic component, while respecting the conservation law. According to the dynamics thus obtained, referred to as the energy-based stochastic Schrodinger equation, an arbitrary initial state collapses spontaneously to one of the energy eigenstates, thus describing the phenomenon of quantum state reduction. In this paper, two such models are investigated: one that achieves state reduction in infinite time and the other in finite time. The properties of the associated energy expectation process and the energy variance process are worked out in detail. By use of a novel application of a nonlinear filtering method, closed-form solutions-algebraic in character and involving no integration-are obtained of both these models. In each case, the solution is expressed in terms of a random variable representing the terminal energy of the system and an independent noise process. With these solutions at hand it is possible to simulate explicitly the dynamics of the quantum states of complicated physical systems

A closed-form solution to the energy-based stochastic Schrodinger equation with a time-dependent coupling is obtained. Three different methods for establishing the result are shown: the first method uses the idea of conditioning on the trajectory of a random path; the second method is based on the change-of-measure technique in probability theory; and the third method relies on the decomposition of a random path into increments. The solution is given by a functional of a non-Markovian process; this functional process is shown nevertheless to possess the Markov property. When the coupling is time-independent, it is known that state reduction occurs asymptotically--that is to say, over an infinite time horizon. In the case of a time-dependent coupling, we show that if the magnitude of the coupling decreases sufficiently rapidly, then the energy variance will be reduced under the dynamics, but the state need not reach an energy eigenstate. We also construct an example where the opposite situation prevails, in which complete state reduction is achieved after the passage of a finite period of time.

The energy-based stochastic extension of the Schrödinger equation is a rather special nonlinear stochastic differential equation on Hilbert space, involving a single free parameter, that has been shown to be very useful for modeling the phenomenon of quantum state reduction. Here we construct a general closed form solution to this equation, for any given initial condition, in terms of a random variable representing the terminal value of the energy and an independent Brownian motion. The solution is essentially algebraic in character, involving no integration, and is thus suitable as a basis for efficient simulation studies of state reduction in complex systems.