We show that a physical correspondence between Brownian motion and quantum mechanics can be established by formal analytic continuation if Wick rotation ( t \→ i t ) is replaced by the mirror symmetric, complex conjugate time transformation t \→ ± i t . Invariance of the square modulus of the wave function under this transformation reveals a tight connection between Born's interpretation of the probability density and the proper time t 2 = \( − i t \) \( + i t \) , as being both the result of a time symmetry breaking in the informational content of the microscopic (quantum) world, which takes place as we move to a macroscopic level. We find that under the transformation t \→ ± i t , the Schrödinger equation and its complex conjugate conforms with a stochastic-mechanical model of the Brownian motion of a particle. From the present analysis, Nelson's osmotic velocity arises naturally and the quantum phase function admits a classical interpretation in terms of a continuous (scalar) potential field that influences the motion of the particle. The maximum phase variation defines the direction of the osmotic and current velocity. Whereas the paper focuses on the correlation between quantum mechanics and Ficks's second law for a constant diffusion coefficient, a discussion is also provided on the possibility of a quantum mechanical formulation for anomalous diffusion, where the diffusion coefficient is a function of space and/or time.
We show that a physical correspondence between Brownian motion and quantum mechanics can be established by formal analytic continuation if Wick rotation ( t \→ i t ) is replaced by the mirror symmetric, complex conjugate time transformation t \→ ± i t . Invariance of the square modulus of the wave function under this transformation reveals a tight connection between Born's interpretation of the probability density and the proper time t 2 = ( − i t ) ( + i t ) , as being both the result of a time symmetry breaking in the informational content of the microscopic (quantum) world, which takes place as we move to a macroscopic level. We find that under the transformation t \→ ± i t , the Schrödinger equation and its complex conjugate conforms with a stochastic-mechanical model of the Brownian motion of a particle. From the present analysis, Nelson's osmotic velocity arises naturally and the quantum phase function admits a classical interpretation in terms of a continuous (scalar) potential field that influences the motion of the particle. The maximum phase variation defines the direction of the osmotic and current velocity. Whereas the paper focuses on the correlation between quantum mechanics and Ficks's second law for a constant diffusion coefficient, a discussion is also provided on the possibility of a quantum mechanical formulation for anomalous diffusion, where the diffusion coefficient is a function of space and/or time.
This paper proposes an interpretation of quantum mechanics, relying on the time-symmetric stochastic dynamics of quantum particles and on non-classical probability theory. Our main purpose is to demonstrate that the wave function and its complex conjugate can be interpreted as complex probability distributions in two complex diffusion equations related to non-real forward and backward in time stochastic motions respectively. We say non-real because Schroedinger forward and backward diffusions describe both reversible (real trajectories) and irreversible trajectories (non-real trajectories). The reversible trajectories are the only real trajectories and are given by the intersection of those forward and backward processes. It turns out that if we translate this intersection using set-theoretic language, we are led to a reversible diffusion described by Born rule probabilities. This proposal is useful also for explaining more about the role of complex numbers in quantum mechanics that produces this so-called "wave-like" nature of quantum reality. Our perspective also challenges the notion of physical superposition and aims at a derivation of superposition principle not based on the linearity of Schroedinger's equation but relying on pure probability theory. Moreover, it is suggested that, embracing the idea of stochastic processes in quantum theory, explains the reasons for the appearance of classical behavior in large objects, in contrast to the quantum behavior of small ones. In other words, we claim that a combination of a probabilistic and no-ontic view (neither epistemic though) of the wave function with a stochastic hidden-variables approach, may provide some insight into the quantum physical reality and potentially establish the groundwork for a novel interpretation of quantum mechanics.
In this paper, we introduce (at least formally) a diffusion effect that is based on an axiom postulated by Werner Heisenberg in the early days of quantum mechanics. His statement was that—in quantum mechanics—kinematical quantities such as velocity must be treated as complex matrices. In the hydrodynamic formulation of quantum mechanics according to Madelung, the complex Schrödinger equation is rewritten in terms of two real equations—a continuity equation and a modified Hamilton–Jacobi equation. Considering seriously Heisenberg’s axiom, the velocity occurring in the continuity equation should be replaced by a complex one, thus introducing a diffusion term with an imaginary diffusion coefficient. Therefore, in quantum mechanics, there should be a diffusion effect showing up in the dynamics. This is the case in the time evolution of the free-motion wave packet under time reversal. The maximum returns to the initial position; however, the width of the wave packet does not shrink to its initial width. This effect is obvious but—as far as we know—it is not mentioned in any textbook. In our paper, we discuss this effect in detail and show the connection with a complex version of quantum hydrodynamics.
On the basis of the observational fact that a wave packet, describing the localized ensemble of micro-objects, spreads according to the diffusion law, the quantum equivalence principle is formulated, that the motion of the ensemble of quantum objects is equivalent to the diffusion of the ensemble of classical objects in a fluctuating background field (physical vacuum).The observations also confirm the validity of the principle of relativity for quantum phenomena, formulating as the principle of constancy of quantum fluctuations, that these fluctuations and the describing them diffusion occur identically in all inertial frames.It is shown that these two physical principles, together with the principles of mechanics, lead to the diffusion quantum mechanics (DQM), containing the formalism of quantum mechanics as a particular case.In DKM the relation between the velocity of the diffusion flow and the probability density is given by the diffusion law (Fick's law), while the invariance of diffusion leads to its conservatism (diffusion without friction) and the constancy of the diffusion coefficient, fixed from correspondence with quantum mechanics.In DQM the Hamiltonian includes the kinetic energies of the drift, diffusion flux, and interaction potentials, while the probability density and the drift action function of particles S form a canonical pair.The canonical equations for them then lead to the continuity equation and to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Madelung equation.The probability density in them enters nonlinearly, but in the case of a canonical transformation to the complex amplitude of the probabilities, they are linearized and pass into the Schrödinger equation.As a result, the amplitudes of probabilities add up for the alternatives, i.e. their superposition takes place.DQM based on physical principles is a more general theory than quantum mechanics, since along with classical devices and particles it introduces a third participant of all processes -the background field, which is the source of quantum fluctuations of classical particles.In DQM, the quantum potential is the potential energy associated with localization, quantum statistics appears in the system of many classical particles in the fluctuating background, and composite particles of small size can have a small mass.DQM also explains the existence of rest energy, the constancy of the light velocity (velocity of quantum fluctuations) and predicts the existence and properties of gravitation as thermal diffusion in the inhomogeneous background field.
Localized ensemble of free microparticles spreads out as in a frictionless diffusion satisfying the principle of relativity. An ensemble of classical particles in a fluctuating classical scalar field diffuses in a similar way, and this analogy is used to formulate diffusion quantum mechanics (DQM). DQM reproduces quantum mechanics for homogeneous and gravity for inhomogeneous scalar field. Diffusion flux and probability density are related by Fick’s law, diffusion coefficient is constant and invariant. Hamiltonian includes a “thermal” energy, kinetic energies of drift and diffusion flux. The probability density and the action function of drift form a canonical pair and canonical equations for them lead to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Madelung and continuity equations. At canonical transformation to a complex probability amplitude they form a linear Schrödinger equation. DQM explains appearance of quantum statistics, rest energy (“thermal” energy) and gravity (“thermal” diffusion) and leads to a low mass mechanism for composite particles.
The connection between the Schrödinger equation and Einstein's diffusion theory based on the Brownian motion of independent particles is well known. However, in contrast to diffusion theory, quantum mechanics theory has suffered controversial interpretations due to the counterintuitive concept of wavefunction. Here, while we confirm there is no difference in the mathematical form of these two equations, we derive the imaginary version of displacement. Using the diffusion theory of particles in a medium, as simple as it is, we describe that quantum mechanics is just an elegant and subtle equation to describe the probability of all the trajectories that a particle can take to propagate in time by a predictive wavefunction. Therefore, information on the position of particles through time in quantum theory is embedded in the wavefunction, which predicts the evolution of an ensemble of individual Brownian particles.
We explore whether quantum field theory can be understood as the statistical mechanics of a time-reversal-invariant stochastic generalization of Hamiltonian dynamics. The motivation for this project, started with this paper, is to assign sharp values to all observables and thereby avoid the quantum measurement problem. In classical mechanics, motion is deterministic and corresponds to an evolution of the phase space probability density according to Liouville's equation that is governed by first derivatives of the Hamiltonian in phase space. We derive a generalization of the Liouville equation with natural constraints -- namely, reduction to classical Hamiltonian dynamics as the stochasticity parameter ℏ↦0, Fokker-Planck form for the probability density evolution, local Hamiltonian dependence, time-reversal invariance, energy conservation, and minimality -- which turns out to be a Fokker-Planck equation with a generalized diffusion matrix that is symmetric, traceless, and constructed from the Hessian of the Hamiltonian. We then show that the Schrödinger equation in the coherent-state phase-space formulation of certain bosonic QFTs has precisely this form, with the Husimi function playing the role of the phase space probability density. The question to what extent this equation can be interpreted in terms of objective stochastic field theories is discussed in a companion paper.