A proposal for detecting second order topological quantum phase

Gaussian linking of a semiclassical path of a charged particle with a magnetic flux tube is responsible for the Aharonov-Bohm effect, where one observes interference proportional to the magnitude of the enclosed flux. We construct quantum mechanical wave functions where semiclassical paths can have second order linking to two magnetic flux tubes, and show there is interference proportional to the product of the two fluxes.     

Note on Resonant and Non-resonant Peaks in Electron-Atom Total Scattering Cross Sections

Certain broad low-energy peaks caused by a single partial wave in total cross sections are explained in terms of phase shifts. Such peaks have been associated with the real part of a Regge pole trajectory, having a maximum near an integer value of the angular momentum quantum number. At the peak energies, the pertinent partial-wave phase shift was shown to have a local maximum near a value π/2 modulo π. This implies no time delay in the semiclassical context. The phenomenon is a quantum effect, lacking a semiclassical interpretation.     

量子力学定态不是驻波

作为一种经典或半经典的观点，可以认为定态是由波的干涉形成的驻波，但在量子力学中，定态本身是基本的，不是驻波。     

Interference in Phase Space

A central problem in quantum mechanics is the calculation of the overlap, that is, the scalar product between two quantum states. In the semiclassical limit (Bohr's correspondence principle) we visualize this quantity as the area of overlap between two bands in phase space. In the case of more than one overlap the contributing amplitudes have to be combined with a phase difference again determined by an area in phase space. In this sense the familiar double-slit interference experiment is generalized to an interference in phase space. We derive this concept by the WKB approximation, illustrate it by the example of Franck-Condon transitions in diatomic molecules, and compare it with and contrast it to Wigner's concept of pseudo-probabilities in phase space.     

Semiclassical propagator of the Wigner function

Propagation of the Wigner function is studied on two levels of semiclassical propagation: one based on the Van Vleck propagator, the other on phase-space path integration. Leading quantum corrections to the classical Liouville propagator take the form of a time-dependent quantum spot. Its oscillatory structure depends on whether the underlying classical flow is elliptic or hyperbolic. It can be interpreted as the result of interference of a pair of classical trajectories, indicating how quantum coherences are to be propagated semiclassically in phase space. The phase-space path-integral approach allows for a finer resolution of the quantum spot in terms of Airy functions.     

Monte Carlo method for evaluating the quantum real time propagator

A new exact representation of the quantum propagator is derived in terms of semiclassical initial value representations. The resulting expression may be expanded in a series, of which the leading order term is the semiclassical one. Motion of a Gaussian wave packet on a symmetric double well potential is used to demonstrate numerical convergence of the series and the ability to compute each element in the series using Monte Carlo methods.     

Magnetotunneling into Fock–Darwin‐like quantum dot states: Lateral matrix elements and the role of selection rules

We study theoretically the magnetotunneling transport through quantum dots formed by thermal diffusion of charged manganese interstitials in the vicinity of a GaAs quantum well [Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 , 226807 (2008)]. In particular, we examine the lateral matrix elements between Landau subbands in the contact and Fock–Darwin‐like states of an individual dot at high magnetic fields. We explicitly demonstrate the effect of spatial deformation of the dot on the wave function's overlap. The comparison with measured data suggests a selection rule similar to angular momentum conservation for tunneling into perfect Fock–Darwin states. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Particle Spin Described by Quantum Hamilton Equations

The anomalous Zeeman effect made it clear that charged particles like the electron possess a magnetic dipole moment. Classically, this could be understood if the charged particle possesses an eigenrotation, that is, spin. Within Nelson's stochastic mechanics, it was shown that the model of a rotating charged ball is able to reproduce the well-known spin expectation values. This classically motivated model of intrinsic rotation described in terms of a stochastic process is revisited here within the formalism of stochastic optimal control theory. Quantum Hamilton equations (QHE) for spinning particles are derived, which reduce to their classical counterpart in the zero quantum noise limit. These equations enable the calculation of the common spin expectation values without the use of the wave function. They also offer information on the orientation dynamics of the magnetic moment of charged particles beyond the behavior of the spin averages.     

The Aharonov-Bohm effect for a knotted magnetic solenoid

We show that the linking of a semiclassical path of a charged particle with a knotted magnetic solenoid results in the Aharonov-Bohm effect. The phase shift in the wave function is proportional to the flux intersecting a certain connected and orientable surface bounded by the knot (a Seifert surface of the knot).     

Path-integral formulation of the Langer modification and its applications to the hydrogen atom

The Larger transformation is performed in the path integral for the radial propagator. The semiclassical calculation of the transformed propagator results in the exact energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom and the semiclassical Coulomb phase shifts with the correct angular modification.     

Semiclassical expansion of quantum characteristics for many‐body potential scattering problem

In quantum mechanics, systems can be described in phase space in terms of the Wigner function and the star‐product operation. Quantum characteristics, which appear in the Heisenberg picture as the Weyl's symbols of operators of canonical coordinates and momenta, can be used to solve the evolution equations for symbols of other operators acting in the Hilbert space. To any fixed order in the Planck's constant, many‐body potential scattering problem simplifies to a statistical‐mechanical problem of computing an ensemble of quantum characteristics and their derivatives with respect to the initial canonical coordinates and momenta. The reduction to a system of ordinary differential equations pertains rigorously at any fixed order in ?. We present semiclassical expansion of quantum characteristics for many‐body scattering problem and provide tools for calculation of average values of time‐dependent physical observables and cross sections. The method of quantum characteristics admits the consistent incorporation of specific quantum effects, such as non‐locality and coherence in propagation of particles, into the semiclassical transport models. We formulate the principle of stationary action for quantum Hamilton's equations and give quantum‐mechanical extensions of the Liouville theorem on conservation of the phase‐space volume and the Poincaré theorem on conservation of 2p‐forms. The lowest order quantum corrections to the Kepler periodic orbits are constructed. These corrections show the resonance behavior.     

Semiclassical wave packet tunneling in real-time

Quantum mechanical real-time tunneling through general scattering potentials is studied in the semiclassical limit. It is shown that the exact path integral of the real-time propagator is dominated in the long time sector by quasi-stationary fluctuations associated with caustics. This leads to an extended semiclassical propagation scheme for wave packet dynamics which accurately describes deep tunneling through static and, for the first time, driven barrier potentials.     

Semiclassical regime of Regge calculus and spin foams

Recent attempts to recover the graviton propagator from spin foam models involve the use of a boundary quantum state peaked on a classical geometry. The question arises whether beyond the case of a single simplex this suffices for peaking the interior geometry in a semiclassical configuration. In this paper we explore this issue in the context of quantum Regge calculus with a general triangulation. Via a stationary phase approximation, we show that the boundary state succeeds in peaking the interior in the appropriate configuration, and that boundary correlations can be computed order by order in an asymptotic expansion. Further, we show that if we replace at each simplex the exponential of the Regge action by its cosine—as expected from the semiclassical limit of spin foam models—then the contribution from the sign-reversed terms is suppressed in the semiclassical regime and the results match those of conventional Regge calculus.     

The Van Vleck formula,Maslov theory,and phase space geometry

The Van Vleck formula is an approximate, semiclassical expression for the quantum propagator. It is the starting point for the derivation of the Gutzwiller trace formula, and through this, a variety of other expansions representing eigenvalues, wave functions, and matrix elements in terms of classical periodic orbits. These are currently among the best and most promising theoretical tools for understanding the asymptotic behavior of quantum systems whose classical analogs are chaotic. Nevertheless, there are currently several questions remaining about the meaning and validity of the Van Vleck formula, such as those involving its behavior for long times. This article surveys an important aspect of the Van Vleck formula, namely, the relationship between it and phase space geometry, as revealed by Maslov's theory of wave asymptotics. The geometrical constructions involved are developed with a minimum of mathematical formalism.     

Uniform approximation for the coherent-state propagator using a conjugate application of the Bargmann representation

We propose a conjugate application of the Bargmann representation of quantum mechanics. Applying the Maslov method to the semiclassical connection formula between the two representations, we derive a uniform semiclassical approximation for the coherent-state propagator which is finite at phase space caustics.     

光和原子关联与量子计量

物理量的测量与单位标准的统一推动了计量学的发展.量子力学的建立,激光技术的发明以及原子与分子物理学的发展,在原理与技术上进一步刷新了计量学的研究内涵,特别是激光干涉与原子频标技术的发展,引起了计量学革命性的飞跃.基于激光干涉的引力波测量、激光陀螺仪,基于原子干涉的原子钟、原子陀螺仪等精密测量技术相继诞生,一个以量子物理为基础,探索与开拓物理量精密测量方法与技术的新的科学分支——量子计量学(Quantum Metrology)已然兴起.干涉是计量学中最常用的相位测量方法.量子干涉技术,其相位测量精度能够突破标准量子极限的限制,是量子计量学与量子测量技术的核心研究内容.本文重点介绍近几年我们在量子干涉方面所取得的新开拓与新发展,主要内容包括基于原子系综中四波混频过程的SU(1,1)型光量子关联干涉仪和基于原子系综中拉曼散射过程的光-原子混合干涉仪.     

Matter-wave interference in Bose-Einstein condensates: A dispersive hydrodynamic perspective

The interference pattern generated by the merging interaction of two Bose-Einstein condensates reveals the coherent, quantum wave nature of matter. An asymptotic analysis of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the small dispersion (semiclassical) limit, experimental results, and three-dimensional numerical simulations show that this interference pattern can be interpreted as a modulated soliton train generated by the interaction of two rarefaction waves propagating through the vacuum. The soliton train is shown to emerge from a linear, trigonometric interference pattern and is found by use of the Whitham modulation theory for nonlinear waves. This dispersive hydrodynamic perspective offers a new viewpoint on the mechanism driving matter-wave interference.     

Space–time transformation for the propagator in de Broglie–Bohm theory

A linear space–time transformation proposed to calculate the propagator in the de Broglie–Bohm theory, viewed as an expansion of the guiding wave function over the velocity space. It is shown that the quantum evolution is preserved in its semiclassical scheme through this change. The case of variable-frequency harmonic oscillator is presented as an example.