Gouy phase and visibility in the double-slit experiment

We study a matter wave double-slit experiment with unequal aperture widths in order to evaluate the effect of the Gouy phase on the visibility/predictability. While the predictability changes as one increases the width of one of the slits, the visibility receives a contribution from the Gouy phase at a specific point in the detection screen. Consequently such apparatus constitutes a simple device for measuring the Gouy phase of matter waves. We illustrate it numerically for neutrons.     

On Classical and Quantum Objectivity

We propose a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between observables and operators in mechanics. To do so, we introduce a postulate that establishes a correspondence between the objective properties permitting to identify physical states and the symmetry transformations that modify their gauge dependant properties. We show that the uncertainty principle results from a faithful—or equivariant—realization of this correspondence. It is a consequence of the proposed postulate that the quantum notion of objective physical states is not incomplete, but rather that the classical notion is overdetermined.     

Quantum telegraph: is it possible?

The use of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) correlated microparticles for telecommunication purposes is considered from a new point of view. In spite of the fact that the usual nonlocality of EPR pairs is not controllable, the use of irreversible quantum systems opens new possibilities. A concrete scheme for a controllable correlated quantum system is considered. It might be used for non-wave-type communication over not very large distances.     

Quantum coherence and decoherence of protons and muons in condensed matter

The coherence in quantum superposition states of protons (and chemically similar particles, the positive muons) has been studied in some condensed matter environments. It is shown that if the proton systems and the experimental techniques used to study them are carefully selected, it is possible to observe quantum delocalization states of single particles and to understand the mechanisms for their loss of coherence. Quantum correlated two- and multiparticle states of protons lose coherence very fast when coupled to condensed matter environments, but new sub-femtosecond techniques have made them accessible to experimental studies. The degree of decoherence can be measured as function of time and the decoherence mechanisms can, at least in certain cases, be identified. Although less clean than in corresponding studies of quantum optical systems, these studies can be seen as a first step towards understanding the conditions for preservation of quantum correlation and entanglement in massive systems. Some consequences and some suggestions for future work are discussed. Received 28 August 2002 Published online 7 January 2003     

Objective Probability and Quantum Fuzziness

This paper offers a critique of the Bayesian interpretation of quantum mechanics with particular focus on a paper by Caves, Fuchs, and Schack containing a critique of the “objective preparations view” or OPV. It also aims to carry the discussion beyond the hardened positions of Bayesians and proponents of the OPV. Several claims made by Caves et al. are rebutted, including the claim that different pure states may legitimately be assigned to the same system at the same time, and the claim that the quantum nature of a preparation device cannot legitimately be ignored. Both Bayesians and proponents of the OPV regard the time dependence of a quantum state as the continuous dependence on time of an evolving state of some kind. This leads to a false dilemma: quantum states are either objective states of nature or subjective states of belief. In reality they are neither. The present paper views the aforesaid dependence as a dependence on the time of the measurement to whose possible outcomes the quantum state serves to assign probabilities. This makes it possible to recognize the full implications of the only testable feature of the theory, viz., the probabilities it assigns to measurement outcomes. Most important among these are the objective fuzziness of all relative positions and momenta and the consequent incomplete spatiotemporal differentiation of the physical world. The latter makes it possible to draw a clear distinction between the macroscopic and the microscopic. This in turn makes it possible to understand the special status of measurements in all standard formulations of the theory. Whereas Bayesians have written contemptuously about the “folly” of conjoining “objective” to “probability,” there are various reasons why quantum-mechanical probabilities can be considered objective, not least the fact that they are needed to quantify an objective fuzziness. But this cannot be appreciated without giving thought to the makeup of the world, which Bayesians refuse to do. Doing this on the basis of how quantum mechanics assigns probabilities, one finds that what constitutes the macroworld is a single Ultimate Reality, about which we know nothing, except that it manifests the macroworld or manifests itself as the macroworld. The so-called microworld is neither a world nor a part of any world but instead is instrumental in the manifestation of the macroworld. Quantum mechanics affords us a glimpse “behind” the manifested world, at stages in the process of manifestation, but it does not allow us to describe what lies “behind” the manifested world except in terms of the finished product—the manifested world, for without the manifested world there is nothing in whose terms we could describe its manifestation.     

Semi-Classical Limit and Minimum Decoherence in the Conditional Probability Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

The Conditional Probability Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics replaces the abstract notion of time used in standard Quantum Mechanics by the time that can be read off from a physical clock. The use of physical clocks leads to apparent non-unitary and decoherence. Here we show that a close approximation to standard Quantum Mechanics can be recovered from conditional Quantum Mechanics for semi-classical clocks, and we use these clocks to compute the minimum decoherence predicted by the Conditional Probability Interpretation.     

Quantum Mechanics: Myths and Facts

A common understanding of quantum mechanics (QM) among students and practical users is often plagued by a number of “myths”, that is, widely accepted claims on which there is not really a general consensus among experts in foundations of QM. These myths include wave-particle duality, time-energy uncertainty relation, fundamental randomness, the absence of measurement-independent reality, locality of QM, nonlocality of QM, the existence of well-defined relativistic QM, the claims that quantum field theory (QFT) solves the problems of relativistic QM or that QFT is a theory of particles, as well as myths on black-hole entropy. The fact is that the existence of various theoretical and interpretational ambiguities underlying these myths does not yet allow us to accept them as proven facts. I review the main arguments and counterarguments lying behind these myths and conclude that QM is still a not-yet-completely-understood theory open to further fundamental research.     

Unitarity as Preservation of Entropy and Entanglement in Quantum Systems

The logical structure of Quantum Mechanics (QM) and its relation to other fundamental principles of Nature has been for decades a subject of intensive research. In particular, the question whether the dynamical axiom of QM can be derived from other principles has been often considered. In this contribution, we show that unitary evolutions arise as a consequences of demanding preservation of entropy in the evolution of a single pure quantum system, and preservation of entanglement in the evolution of composite quantum systems. ⁶ We would also like to dedicate this work to the memory of Asher Peres, whose contributions and sharp comments guided the first steps of the present article.     

Stochastically and Intrinsically Extended Non-relativistic Quantum Particles

Stochastically and intrinsically extended non relativistic quantum particles are described by combining the ideas of a stochastic quantum theory and a quantum functional theory. The former relates the extension to imperfect real measurements while the latter considers it as intrinsic. Physical states, Positive-Operator-Valued measures connected to measurement, and propagators are given and discussed. The stochastic theory is sufficient when the bilocal field describing the particle has a product form.     

An Introduction to Many Worlds in Quantum Computation

The interpretation of quantum mechanics is an area of increasing interest to many working physicists. In particular, interest has come from those involved in quantum computing and information theory, as there has always been a strong foundational element in this field. This paper introduces one interpretation of quantum mechanics, a modern ‘many-worlds’ theory, from the perspective of quantum computation. Reasons for seeking to interpret quantum mechanics are discussed, then the specific ‘neo-Everettian’ theory is introduced and its claim as the best available interpretation defended. The main objections to the interpretation, including the so-called “problem of probability” are shown to fail. The local nature of the interpretation is demonstrated, and the implications of this both for the interpretation and for quantum mechanics more generally are discussed. Finally, the consequences of the theory for quantum computation are investigated, and common objections to using many worlds to describe quantum computing are answered. We find that using this particular many-worlds theory as a physical foundation for quantum computation gives several distinct advantages over other interpretations, and over not interpreting quantum theory at all.     

Quantum Hamilton mechanics: Hamilton equations of quantum motion, origin of quantum operators, and proof of quantization axiom

This paper gives a thorough investigation on formulating and solving quantum problems by extended analytical mechanics that extends canonical variables to complex domain. With this complex extension, we show that quantum mechanics becomes a part of analytical mechanics and hence can be treated integrally with classical mechanics. Complex canonical variables are governed by Hamilton equations of motion, which can be derived naturally from Schrödinger equation. Using complex canonical variables, a formal proof of the quantization axiom p → pˆ = −i, which is the kernel in constructing quantum-mechanical systems, becomes a one-line corollary of Hamilton mechanics. The derivation of quantum operators from Hamilton mechanics is coordinate independent and thus allows us to derive quantum operators directly under any coordinate system without transforming back to Cartesian coordinates. Besides deriving quantum operators, we also show that the various prominent quantum effects, such as quantization, tunneling, atomic shell structure, Aharonov–Bohm effect, and spin, all have the root in Hamilton mechanics and can be described entirely by Hamilton equations of motion.     

Quantum motion on a torus as a submanifold problem in a generalized Dirac’s theory of second-class constraints

A generalization of Dirac’s canonical quantization scheme for a system with second-class constraints is proposed, in which the fundamental commutation relations are constituted by all commutators between positions, momenta and Hamiltonian, so they are simultaneously quantized in a self-consistent manner, rather than by those between merely positions and momenta which leads to ambiguous forms of the Hamiltonian and the momenta. The application of the generalized scheme to the quantum motion on a torus leads to a remarkable result: the quantum theory is inconsistent if built up in an intrinsic geometric manner, whereas it becomes consistent within an extrinsic examination of the torus as a submanifold in three dimensional flat space with the use of the Cartesian coordinate system. The geometric momentum and potential are then reasonably reproduced.     

Particle detection and non-detection in a quantum time of arrival measurement

The standard time-of-arrival distribution cannot reproduce both the temporal and the spatial profile of the modulus squared of the time-evolved wave function for an arbitrary initial state. In particular, the time-of-arrival distribution gives a non-vanishing probability even if the wave function is zero at a given point for all values of time. This poses a problem in the standard formulation of quantum mechanics where one quantizes a classical observable and uses its spectral resolution to calculate the corresponding distribution. In this work, we show that the modulus squared of the time-evolved wave function is in fact contained in one of the degenerate eigenfunctions of the quantized time-of-arrival operator. This generalizes our understanding of quantum arrival phenomenon where particle detection is not a necessary requirement, thereby providing a direct link between time-of-arrival quantization and the outcomes of the two-slit experiment.     

Automata Theory Based on Quantum Logic: Recognizability and Accessibility

Inspired by Ying’s work on automata theory based on quantum logic and classical automata theory, we introduce the concepts of reversal, accessible, coaccessible and complete part of finite state automata based on quantum logic. Some properties of them are discussed. More importantly we investigate the recognizability and accessibility properties of these types on the framework of quantum logic by employing the approach of semantic analysis. Foundation: supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 10671030).     

Quantum mechanics of a constrained particle on an ellipsoid: Bein formalism and Geometric momentum

In this work we apply the Dirac method in order to obtain the classical relations for a particle on an ellipsoid. We also determine the quantum mechanical form of these relations by using Dirac quantization. Then by considering the canonical commutation relations between the position and momentum operators in terms of curved coordinates, we try to propose the suitable representations for momentum operator that satisfy the obtained commutators between position and momentum in Euclidean space. We see that our representations for momentum operators are the same as geometric one.     

Role of environment and confinement in quantum dissipative dynamics: A pedestrian approach

In this paper, the long time and short time behavior of a free quantum Brownian particle and of a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to a quantum heat bath is investigated for different spectral density functions. Not only are the usual Ohmic, Drude or radiation heat bath schemes employed to derive explicit expressions for the generalized susceptibility χ(t)$\chi \left(t\right)$ and the position correlation function σ(t)$\sigma \left(t\right)$ but also the most intriguing frequency dependent heat bath spectra are considered. Emphasis is laid on the dependence on the low-frequency behavior but in some cases also the high-frequency cutoff becomes relevant. The present investigation also sheds light on the role of boundary in long time and short time behavior of quantum dissipative systems.     

Quantum theory of whispering gallery modes in a cylindrical optical microcavity

The quantum interpretation of whispering gallery modes in a cylindrical optical microcavity is presented in analogy with quantum mechanical theory. The formulas for the resonance shifts caused by a small change in correlative refractive index are derived. Then they are applied to two applications of the cylindrical microcavity to probe the change of surrounding medium and the nonlinear effect of cavity's surface.     

Quantum gravity: yesterday and today

Bryce DeWitt was one of the great pioneers of quantum gravity. This unpublished lecture gives his recent views on the topic, which we believe will be of great interest not only to researchers involved in modern attempts to quantize Einstein’s theory, but also to a much wider audience. It is the first installment of a book “The Pursuit of Quantum Gravity 1946–2004; Memoirs of Bryce DeWitt” that Cecile DeWitt is preparing. We would like to thank her for the permission to publish this lecture separately in General Relativity and Gravitation. Readers who have unpublished material such as letters from Bryce, and would be willing to send copies to Cecile, are hereby invited to do so. She would be very grateful. G.F.R. Ellis, H. Nicolai (Editors-in-chief). This article was found in Bryce’s files without references and without an indication of its purpose. References and the name of a previously anonymous student have been supplied by Cecile DeWitt and Brandon DiNunno. Bryce DeWitt (1923–2004). An erratum to this article can be found at     

Quantum turbulence: Theoretical and numerical problems

The term “quantum turbulence” (QT) unifies the wide class of phenomena where the chaotic set of one dimensional quantized vortex filaments (vortex tangles) appear in quantum fluids and greatly influence various physical features. Quantum turbulence displays itself differently depending on the physical situation, and ranges from quasi-classical turbulence in flowing fluids to a near equilibrium set of loops in phase transition. The statistical configurations of the vortex tangles are certainly different in, say, the cases of counterflowing helium and a rotating bulk, but in all the physical situations very similar theoretical and numerical problems arise. Furthermore, quite similar situations appear in other fields of physics, where a chaotic set of one dimensional topological defects, such as cosmic strings, or linear defects in solids, or lines of darkness in nonlinear light fields, appear in the system. There is an interpenetration of ideas and methods between these scientific topics which are far apart in other respects. The main purpose of this review is to bring together some of the most commonly discussed results on quantum turbulence, focusing on analytic and numerical studies. We set out a series of results on the general theory of quantum turbulence which aim to describe the properties of the chaotic vortex configuration, starting from vortex dynamics. In addition we insert a series of particular questions which are important both for the whole theory and for the various applications. We complete the article with a discussion of the hot topic, which is undoubtedly mainstream in this field, and which deals with the quasi-classical properties of quantum turbulence. We discuss this problem from the point of view of the theoretical results stated in the previous sections. We also included section, which is devoted to the experimental and numerical suggestions based on the discussed theoretical models.     

微波传输中沙尘衰减的计算与仿真

1．Information and Engineering College, PLA Information Engineering University, P.O.Box 1001-826, Zhengzhou 450002, China;2．College of Information Science and Enginerring, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310022, China