Boolean transfer from coherent quantum logics to quantum logics with continuous superselection rules

Quantum logics with continuous superselection rules are shown to be Booleanvalued coherent quantum logics. Since modern set theory provides a transfer principle from standard mathematics to Boolean-valued mathematics, this makes it possible to transfer automatically well-known results on coherent quantum logics to quantum logics with continuous superselection rules. Many illustrations are given.     

Embedding Quantum Universes in Classical Ones

Do the partial order and ortholattice operations of a quantum logic correspond to the logical implication and connectives of classical logic? Rephrased, How far might a classical understanding of quantum mechanics be, in principle, possible? A celebrated result of Kochen and Specker answers the above question in the negative. However, this answer is just one among various possible ones, not all negative. It is our aim to discuss the above question in terms of mappings of quantum worlds into classical ones, more specifically, in terms of embeddings of quantum logics into classical logics; depending upon the type of restrictions imposed on embeddings, the question may get negative or positive answers.     

Entangled Qubit States and Linear Entropy in the Probability Representation of Quantum Mechanics

The superposition states of two qubits including entangled Bell states are considered in the probability representation of quantum mechanics. The superposition principle formulated in terms of the nonlinear addition rule of the state density matrices is formulated as a nonlinear addition rule of the probability distributions describing the qubit states. The generalization of the entanglement properties to the case of superposition of two-mode oscillator states is discussed using the probability representation of quantum states.     

再谈态叠加原理

讨论了量子力学里态叠加原理的物理含义,并评论了国内外流行的几种教材中的一些不同讲法。     

Nonlinear quantum mechanics,the superposition principle,and the quantum measurement problem

There are four reasons why our present knowledge and understanding of quantum mechanics can be regarded as incomplete. (1) The principle of linear superposition has not been experimentally tested for position eigenstates of objects having more than about a thousand atoms. (2) There is no universally agreed upon explanation for the process of quantum measurement. (3) There is no universally agreed upon explanation for the observed fact that macroscopic objects are not found in superposition of position eigenstates. (4) Most importantly, the concept of time is classical and hence external to quantum mechanics: there should exist an equivalent reformulation of the theory which does not refer to an external classical time. In this paper we argue that such a reformulation is the limiting case of a nonlinear quantum theory, with the nonlinearity becoming important at the Planck mass scale. Such a nonlinearity can provide insights into the aforesaid problems. We use a physically motivated model for a nonlinear Schr?dinger equation to show that nonlinearity can help in understanding quantum measurement. We also show that while the principle of linear superposition holds to a very high accuracy for atomic systems, the lifetime of a quantum superposition becomes progressively smaller, as one goes from microscopic to macroscopic objects. This can explain the observed absence of position superpositions in macroscopic objects (lifetime is too small). It also suggests that ongoing laboratory experiments may be able to detect the finite superposition lifetime for mesoscopic objects in the near future.     

The quantum sling and the Schrödinger cat

The quantum sling is defined as a quantum harmonic oscillator with an abruptly vanishing frequency. It is shown in this article that a particle released by such a mechanism remains in acorrelated coherent state, i.e., a quantum state with the minimum dispersion in position and momentum allowed by the Schrödinger-Robertson uncertainty principle. This simple model permits to describe a Schrödinger-cat state (a quantum superposition of macroscopically distinguishable states) released by the sling. The result is a superposition of two correlated coherent states propagating in two opposite directions and with an interference term.     

Superposition Quantification

The principle of superposition is universal and lies at the heart of quantum theory. Although ever since the inception of quantum mechanics a century ago, superposition has occupied a central and pivotal place, rigorous and systematic studies of the quantification issue have attracted significant interests only in recent years, and many related problems remain to be investigated. In this work we introduce a figure of merit which quantifies superposition from an intuitive and direct perspective, investigate its fundamental properties, connect it to some coherence measures, illustrate it through several examples, and apply it to analyze wave-particle duality.     

Connections among quantum logics. Part 2. Quantum event logics

This paper gives a brief introduction to the major areas of work in quantum event logics: manuals (Foulis and Randall) and semi-Boolean algebras (Abbott). The two theories are compared, and the connection between quantum event logics and quantum propositional logics is made explicit. In addition, the work on manuals provides us with many examples of results stated in Part I.     

谈谈量子力学中的状态叠加原理

以对话的形式,介绍并评论了布洛欣采夫、狄拉克以及朗道和栗弗席茨关于状态叠加原理的不同表述.     

Connections among quantum logics. Part 1. Quantum propositional logics

In this paper, we propose a theory of quantum logics which is general enough to enable us to reexamine previous work on quantum logics in the context of this theory. It is then easy to assess the differences between the different systems studied. The quantum logical systems which we incorporate are divided into two groups which we call quantum propositional logics and quantum event logics. We include the work of Kochen and Specker (partial Boolean algebras), Greechie and Gudder (orthomodular partially ordered sets), Domotar (quantum mechanical systems), and Foulis and Randall (operational logics) in quantum propositional logics; and Abbott (semi-Boolean algebras) and Foulis and Randall (manuals) in quantum event logics. In this part of the paper, we develop an axiom system for quantum propositional logics and examine the above structures in the context of this system.     

Quantum logic properties of hypergraphs

In quantum logics, the notions of strong and full order determination and unitality for states on orthomodular posets are well known. These notions are defined for hypergraphs and their state spaces in a consistent manner and the relations between them and to the notions defined for orthomodular posets are discussed. The state space of a hypergraph is a polytope. This polytope is a simplex if and only if every superposition of pure states is a mixture of these same pure states. Isomorphic hypergraphs have convexly isomorphic state spaces. A class of hypergraphs is given whose group of automorphisms is group-isomorphic to the group of convex automorphisms of their state spaces.Work supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.     

Search for Purity and Entanglement

We review the procedure of purification of quantum states which provides recovery of interference and entanglement. The phase space distributions and quantum tomograms are discussed. The superposition principle and the composition law of density matrices are studied.     

On the relation between Schrödinger and von Neumann equations

The relation between the density matrix obeying the von Neumann equation and the wave function obeying the Schrödinger equation is discussed in connection with the superposition principle of quantum states. The definition of the ray-addition law is given, and its relation to the addition law of vectors in the Hilbert space of states and the role of a constant phase factor of the wave function is elucidated. The superposition law of density matrices, Wigner functions, and tomographic probabilities describing quantum states in the probability representation of quantum mechanics is studied. Examples of spin-1/2 and Schrödinger-cat states of the harmonic oscillator are discussed. The connection of the addition law with the entanglement problem is considered.     

Quantum computers? … Coherent computers!

Attention is drawn to the fact that the computer that employs a superposition of states as the basis for its operation can be implemented by not only quantum but also classical elements, whose dynamics obey classical laws of motion. It is shown that the term “coherent computer” better reflects the physical principle of the computational devices based on the superposition of states.