Wave Mechanics or Wave Statistical Mechanics

By comparison between equations of motion of geometrical optics and that of classical statistical mechanics, this paper finds that there should be an analogy between geometrical optics and classical statistical mechanics instead of geometrical mechanics and classical mechanics. Furthermore, by comparison between the classical limit of quantum mechanics and classical statistical mechanics, it finds that classical limit of quantum mechanics is classical statistical mechanics not classical mechanics, hence it demonstrates that quantum mechanics is a natural generalization of classical statistical mechanics instead of classical mechanics. Thence quantum mechanics in its true appearance is a wave statistical mechanics instead of a wave mechanics.     

Classical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics

The Newton equation of motion is derived from quantum mechanics.     

Foundations of Quantum Mechanics: The Connection Between QM and the Central Limit Theorem

In this paper we unravel the connection between the quantum mechanical formalism and the Central limit theorem (CLT). We proceed to connect the results coming from this theorem with the derivations of the Schrödinger equation from the Liouville equation, presented by ourselves in other papers. In those papers we had used the concept of an infinitesimal parameter x that raised some controversy. The status of this infinitesimal parameter is then elucidated in the framework of the CLT. Finally, we use the formal apparatus developed in our previous papers and the results of the present one to advance an alternative objective interpretation of quantum mechanics in which its relations with the classical framework are made explicit. The relations between our approach and those using the Wigner–Moyal transformation are also addressed.     

Natural Nonequilibrium States in Quantum Statistical Mechanics

A quantum spin system is discussed where a heat flow between infinite reservoirs takes place in a finite region. A time-dependent force may also be acting. Our analysis is based on a simple technical assumption concerning the time evolution of infinite quantum spin systems. This assumption, physically natural but currently proved for few specific systems only, says that quantum information diffuses in space-time in such a way that the time integral of the commutator of local observables converges: ⁰ _– dt [B, ^t A]<. In this setup one can define a natural nonequilibrium state. In the time-independent case, this nonequilibrium state retains some of the analyticity which characterizes KMS equilibrium states. A linear response formula is also obtained which remains true far from equilibrium. The formalism presented here does not cover situations where (for time-independent forces) the time-translation invariance and uniqueness of the natural nonequilibrium state are broken.     

Effective Action for a Statistical System with a Field Dependent Wave Function

We compute the first order correction in ħ to the field dependent wave function in Statistical Field Theory. These corrections are evaluated by several usual methods. We limit ourselves to a one dimensional model in order to avoid the usual difficulties with the UV divergences that are not relevant for our purposes. The main result of the paper is that the various methods yield different corrections to the wave function. Moreover, we give arguments to show that the perturbative integration of the exact renormalization group provides the right result.     

A Continuous Transition Between Quantum and Classical Mechanics. I

In spite of its popularity, it has not been possible to vindicate the conventional wisdom that classical mechanics is a limiting case of quantum mechanics. The purpose of the present paper is to offer an alternative formulation of mechanics which provides a continuous transition between quantum and classical mechanics via environment-induced decoherence.     

A Continuous Transition Between Quantum and Classical Mechanics. II

Examples are worked out using a new equation proposed in the previous paper to show that it has new physical predictions for mesoscopic systems.     

量子力学矩阵元的经典极限

本研究了量子力学矩阵元的经典极限，用新的方法证明了如下定理；在分立谱情况下，量子力学矩阵元ｆｎｍ的经典极限是相应经典力学量ｆ（ｔ）之Ｆｏｕｒｉｅｒ级数展开的第ｎ－ｍ个分量；在连续谱情况下，量子力学矩阵元ｆＥＥ与Ｐｌａｃｋ常量ｈ的乘积ｈｆＥＥ的经典极限相应经典力学量ｆ（ｔ）之Ｆｏｒｉｅｒ积分展开的第ω次分量。     

Statistical basis for physical laws; non-relativistic theory

We extend the constructions of previous papers, showing the equivalence of quantum mechanics and a classical probability formalism with constraints assuring differentiable probability densities without contradictions, to show that these constructions also yield Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force. These constructions have already yielded Schroedinger's equation for a charged particle in an electromagnetic field, but here it is shown that this statistical construction provides the basis for gauge conditions and defines a specific gauge for this non-relativistic formalism. These constructions also provide new insight into the relationship of Schroedinger quantum mechanics and a classical diffusion process.     

Quantum particles from classical statistics

Quantum particles and classical particles are described in a common setting of classical statistical physics. The property of a particle being “classical” or “quantum” ceases to be a basic conceptual difference. The dynamics differs, however, between quantum and classical particles. We describe position, motion and correlations of a quantum particle in terms of observables in a classical statistical ensemble. On the other side, we also construct explicitly the quantum formalism with wave function and Hamiltonian for classical particles. For a suitable time evolution of the classical probabilities and a suitable choice of observables all features of a quantum particle in a potential can be derived from classical statistics, including interference and tunneling. Besides conceptual advances, the treatment of classical and quantum particles in a common formalism could lead to interesting cross‐fertilization between classical statistics and quantum physics.     

Wave and particle pictures of correlated systems

We present a complementarity relation for the branch-distinguishability in an optical experiment with correlated photons. These analysis can be used to propose a two-photon interferometry experiment showing simulataneously noncomplementary wave and particle behaviors.     

Classical Mechanics Without Determinism

Classical statistical particle mechanics in the configuration space can be represented by a nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Even without assuming the existence of deterministic particle trajectories, the resulting quantum-like statistical interpretation is sufficient to predict all measurable results of classical mechanics. In the classical case, the wave function that satisfies a linear equation is positive, which is the main source of the fundamental difference between classical and quantum mechanics.     

The Spin-Echo Experiment and Statistical Mechanics

No Heading In this paper the spin-echo experiment is examined in the light of three different approaches to statistical mechanics: the coarse-graining Gibbsian approach, the interventionist Gibbsian approach, and the Boltzmannian approach. The conclusions of this examination are almost exactly opposite to the conclusions of Ridderbos and Redhead [1]: Firstly, it is argued that the spin-echo experiment does not tell against a coarse-graining approach to statistical mechanics. Secondly, it is argued that the interventionist approach to statistical mechanics is itself somewhat problematic as its statistical mechanical counterpart of thermodynamic entropy has a number of properties that actual thermodynamic entropy seemingly does not. In the final section of this paper a feature of coarse-grained entropies (their relativity) is noted that may enable coarse-graining approaches to reconcile conflicting intuitions about the behaviour of entropy in the spin-echo experiment, which may be considered a further advantage of such approaches.     

Mathematical Theory of Non-Equilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics

We review and further develop a mathematical framework for non-equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics recently proposed in refs. 1–7. In the algebraic formalism of quantum statistical mechanics we introduce notions of non-equilibrium steady states, entropy production and heat fluxes, and study their properties. Our basic paradigm is a model of a small (finite) quantum system coupled to several independent thermal reservoirs. We exhibit examples of such systems which have strictly positive entropy production.     

Classical limit of scattering in quantum mechanics—A general approach

The classical and quantum physics seem to divide nature into two domains macroscopic and microscopic. It is also certain that they accurately predict experimental results in their respective regions. However, the reduction theory, namely, the general derivation of classical results from the quantum mechanics is still a far cry. The outcome of some recent investigations suggests that there possibly does not exist any universal method for obtaining classical results from quantum mechanics. In the present work we intend to investigate the problem phenomenonwise and address specifically the phenomenon of scattering. We suggest a general approach to obtain the classical limit formula from the phase shiftδ _l, in the limiting value of a suitable parameter on whichδ _l depends. The classical result has been derived for three different potential fields in which the phase shifts are exactly known. Unlike the current wisdom that the classical limit can be reached only in the high energy regime it is found that the classical limit parameter in addition to other factors depends on the details of the potential fields. In the last section we have discussed the implications of the results obtained.     

等权波包与一维简谐振子

以第n个定态波函数为中心，将其附近的从第（n-N）个到（n N）个共2N 1个定态波函数以等权重1/√2N 1叠加起来，就构成了所谓的等权波包，波包上任一力学量f的平均值f^-在经典极限下有严格的经典对应，这一结果可用来考察以往用波包讨论量子力学经典极限的得失之处，本较系统地研究了一维简谐振子体系，给出了若干新结果，并澄清了现行教科书中若干不甚正确的说法。     

A Statistical Mechanics Approach for a Rigidity Problem

We focus the problem of establishing when a statistical mechanics system is determined by its free energy. A lattice system, modelled by a directed and weighted graph (whose vertices are the spins and its adjacency matrix M will be given by the system transition rules), is considered. For a matrix A(q), depending on the system interactions, with entries which are in the ring Z[a ^q :a∈R ⁺] and such that A(0) equals the integral matrix M, the system free energy β _A (q) will be defined as the spectral radius of A(q). This kind of free energy will be related with that normally introduced in Statistical Mechanics as proportional to the logarithm of the partition function. Then we analyze under what conditions the following statement could be valid: if two systems have respectively matrices A,B and β _A = β _B then the matrices are equivalent in some sense. Issues of this nature receive the name of rigidity problems. Our scheme, for finite interactions, closely follows that developed, within a dynamical context, by Pollicott and Weiss but now emphasizing their statistical mechanics aspects and including a classification for Gibbs states associated to matrices A(q). Since this procedure is not applicable for infinite range interactions, we discuss a way to obtain also some rigidity results for long range potentials.