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The Classical Limit of Entropic Quantum Dynamics

Anthony Demme

Published May 1, 2017• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The framework of entropic dynamics (ED) allows one to derive quantum mechanics as an application of entropic inference. In this work we derive the classical limit of quantum mechanics in the context of ED. Our goal is to find conditions so that the center of mass (CM) of a system of N particles behaves as a classical particle. What is of interest is that ~ remains finite at all steps in the calculation and that the classical motion is obtained as the result of a central limit theorem. More explicitly we show that if the system is sufficiently large, and if the CM is initially uncorrelated with other degrees of freedom, then the CM follows a smooth trajectory and obeys the classical Hamilton-Jacobi with a vanishing quantum potential.

DOI
10.54014/mq80-3xb6

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The framework of entropic dynamics (ED) allows one to derive quantum mechanics as an application of entropic inference. In this work we derive the classical limit of quantum mechanics in the context of ED. Our goal is to find conditions so that the center of mass (CM) of a system of N particles behaves as a classical particle. What is of interest is that ~ remains finite at all steps in the calculation and that the classical motion is obtained as the result of a central limit theorem. More explicitly we show that if the system is sufficiently large, and if the CM is initially uncorrelated with other degrees of freedom, then the CM follows a smooth trajectory and obeys the classical Hamilton-Jacobi with a vanishing quantum potential.
The framework of entropic dynamics (ED) allows one to derive quantum mechanics as an application of entropic inference. In this work we derive the classical limit of quantum mechanics in the context of ED. Our goal is to find conditions so that the center of mass (CM) of a system of N particles behaves as a classical particle. What is of interest is that ~ remains finite at all steps in the calculation and that the classical motion is obtained as the result of a central limit theorem. More explicitly we show that if the system is sufficiently large, and if the CM is initially uncorrelated with other degrees of freedom, then the CM follows a smooth trajectory and obeys the classical Hamilton-Jacobi with a vanishing quantum potential.
The framework of entropic dynamics (ED) allows one to derive quantum mechanics as an application of entropic inference. In this work we derive the classical limit of quantum mechanics in the context of ED. Our goal is to find conditions so that the center of mass (CM) of a system of N particles behaves as a classical particle. What is of interest is that ~ remains finite at all steps in the calculation and that the classical motion is obtained as the result of a central limit theorem. More explicitly we show that if the system is sufficiently large, and if the CM is initially uncorrelated with other degrees of freedom, then the CM follows a smooth trajectory and obeys the classical Hamilton-Jacobi with a vanishing quantum potential.
The framework of entropic dynamics (ED) allows one to derive quantum mechanics as an application of entropic inference. In this work we derive the classical limit of quantum mechanics in the context of ED. Our goal is to find conditions so that the center of mass (CM) of a system of N particles behaves as a classical particle. What is of interest is that ħ remains finite at all steps in the calculation and that the classical motion is obtained as the result of a central limit theorem. More explicitly we show that if the system is sufficiently large, and if the CM is initially uncorrelated with other degrees of freedom, then the CM follows a smooth trajectory and obeys the classical Hamilton-Jacobi with a vanishing quantum potential.
In the Entropic Dynamics (ED) approach, quantum mechanics is derived from the principles of entropic inference and information geometry. The ED approach differs from other interpretations by making a clear commitment to distinguishing which variables are ontic (real) and which are epistemic. The classical limit for the center of mass (CM) coordinate is achieved for a large number of particles, M →∞, while Planck’s constant ℏ remains finite. Typically, the emergence of the classical limit requires decoherence through interactions with the external environment. In this work, we investigate whether the classical behavior of the CM coordinate in a mesoscopic system can instead be achieved through internal decoherence resulting from interactions of the CM with the particles of the system itself. Within the framework of entropic dynamics, we study how correlations between a system’s center of mass and its internal coordinates impact this transition. We look at mesoscopic systems placed in both uniform and non-uniform gravitational potentials using probabilistic forms of the Hamilton–Jacobi equation. In uniform fields, the center of mass remains independent of internal coordinates, maintaining quantum coherence. Meanwhile, non-uniform potentials create coupling that induces decoherence, leading to classical behavior. These results show correlation-induced information loss as a natural process for the quantum-to-classical transition and clarify how entropic dynamics provide a coherent, information-theoretic link between quantum and classical realms.
Entropic Dynamics is a framework for deriving the laws of physics from entropic inference. In an (ED) of particles, the central assumption is that particles have definite yet unknown positions. By appealing to certain symmetries, one can derive a quantum mechanics of scalar particles and particles with spin, in which the trajectories of the particles are given by a stochastic equation. This is much like Nelson’s stochastic mechanics which also assumes a fluctuating particle as the basis of the microstates. The uniqueness of ED as an entropic inference of particles allows one to continuously transition between fluctuating particles and the smooth trajectories assumed in Bohmian mechanics. In this work we explore the consequences of the ED framework by studying the trajectories of particles in the continuum between stochastic and Bohmian limits in the context of a few physical examples, which include the double slit and Stern-Gerlach experiments.
Entropic Dynamics (ED) is a framework in which Quantum Mechanics is derived as an application of entropic methods of inference. In ED the dynamics of the probability distribution is driven by entropy subject to constraints that are codified into a quantity later identified as the phase of the wave function. The central challenge is to specify how those constraints are themselves updated. In this paper we review and extend the ED framework in several directions. A new version of ED is introduced in which particles follow smooth differentiable Brownian trajectories (as opposed to non-differentiable Brownian paths). To construct ED we make use of the fact that the space of probabilities and phases has a natural symplectic structure (i.e., it is a phase space with Hamiltonian flows and Poisson brackets). Then, using an argument based on information geometry, a metric structure is introduced. It is shown that the ED that preserves the symplectic and metric structures—which is a Hamilton-Killing flow in phase space—is the linear Schrödinger equation. These developments allow us to discuss why wave functions are complex and the connections between the superposition principle, the single-valuedness of wave functions, and the quantization of electric charges. Finally, it is observed that Hilbert spaces are not necessary ingredients in this construction. They are a clever but merely optional trick that turns out to be convenient for practical calculations.