Admissible states in quantum phase space

We address the question of which phase space functionals might represent a quantum state. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for both pure and mixed phase space quantum states. From the pure state quantum condition we obtain a formula for the momentum correlations of arbitrary order and derive explicit expressions for the wave functions in terms of time-dependent and independent Wigner functions. We show that the pure state quantum condition is preserved by the Moyal (but not by the classical Liouville) time evolution and is consistent with a generic stargenvalue equation. As a by-product Baker's converse construction is generalized both to an arbitrary stargenvalue equation, associated to a generic phase space symbol, as well as to the time-dependent case. These results are properly extended to the mixed state quantum condition, which is proved to imply the Heisenberg uncertainty relations. Globally, this formalism yields the complete characterization of the kinematical structure of Wigner quantum mechanics. The previous results are then succinctly generalized for various quasi-distributions. Finally, the formalism is illustrated through the simple examples of the harmonic oscillator and the free Gaussian wave packet. As a by-product, we obtain in the former example an integral representation of the Hermite polynomials.     

Equal-time kinetic equations in a rotational field

We investigate quantum kinetic theory for a massive fermion system under a rotational field. From the Dirac equation in rotating frame we derive the complete set of kinetic equations for the spin components of the 8- and 7-dimensional Wigner functions. While the particles are no longer on a mass shell in the general case due to the rotation–spin coupling, there are always only two independent components, which can be taken as the number and spin densities. With help from the off-shell constraint we obtain the closed transport equations for the two independent components in the classical limit and at the quantum level. The classical rotation–orbital coupling controls the dynamical evolution of the number density, but the quantum rotation–spin coupling explicitly changes the spin density.     

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.     

Linear quantum Enskog equation. I. Homogeneous quantum fluids

The quantum-statistical generalization of the well-known classical, linear revised Enskog equation is derived for spatially uniform systems. This new quantum kinetic equation allows the study of equilibrium time correlation functions and their associated transport coefficients of normal quantum fluids where static correlations and degeneracy effects due to particle statistics (both are treated exactly) are important. Furthermore, we derive the quantum-statistical analog of the classical ring operator. These microscopic and systematic derivations are based on a recently developed superoperator formalism (including cluster expansion techniques) that, as a main feature, allows a clear distinction between static and dynamic correlations, which is crucial in the discussion of the Enskog approximation.     

Covariant Wigner function approach to the relativistic quantum electron gas in a strong magnetic field

This paper is concerned with a unified approach to some equilibrium properties of the relativistic quantum electron plasma embedded in a strong external magnetic field. This unified approach rests on the systematic use of a covariant Wigner function. The equilibrium Wigner function of the noninteracting gas is derived and its main properties are studied. In particular, it satisfies equations that are the complete analog of the usual Liouville equation and thus can be termed “relativistic quantum Liouville equation” whose properties are considered. The equations of state are rederived in this formalism and the results obtained earlier by Canuto and Chiu are found anew. Also, the covariant Wigner funetion of the magnetized vacuum is derived: it is needed, in this formalism, in order to obtain, e.g., the vacuum polarization tensor. Since we are also interested in the plasma modes, the fluctuations of one-particle quantities—and their spectrum—(in particular, of the four current) are calculated in view of their use in the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. We also outline a microscopic proof of this theorem, on the basis of a BBGKY hierarchy for the covariant Wigner functions, and point out the existence of an effective plasma frequency.     

Evolution equation of the optical tomogram for arbitrary quantum Hamiltonian and optical tomography of relativistic classical and quantum systems

The dynamic equation for the optical tomogram of nonrelativistic quantum system with an arbitrary Hamiltonian is obtained. The kinetic equation in the classical relativistic kinetics is discussed, and its optical tomography representation is obtained. Dynamic equations for the Wigner functions of relativistic spinless quantum particles in electromagnetic and scalar fields are obtained. Optical tomographic-distribution functions of weakly relativistic spinless quantum particles are introduced, and dynamic equations for these functions in weak electric and scalar fields are obtained.     

Quantum mechanics in Galilean space-time

The usual quantum mechanical treatment of a Schrödinger particle is translated into manifestly Galilean-invariant language, primarily through the use of Wigner-distribution methods. The hydrodynamical formulation of quantum mechanics is derived directly from the Wigner-distribution formulation, and the two formulations are compared. Wigner distributions are characterized directly, i.e., without reference to wave functions, and a heuristic interpretation of Wigner distributions and their evolution is developed.     

Off-Shell Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Formulation of Dirac's Equation Using Characteristic Matrices

It is argued that the Klein-Gordon equation isan equation for characteristic functions, i.e.,Fourier-transformed Wigner functions, not for wavefunctions. This statement is derived starting from theoff-shell formulation of relativistic quantum mechanicsby expressing the condition that the mass of theparticle is exactly known. A particular class ofsolutions of the Klein–Gordon equation is formedby the integrable superpositions of pure momentum states. Adirect sum of four copies of the associatedGelfand–Naimark–Segal representation isconsidered. Then one can derive from the Klein-Gordonequation an equation for spinor wave functions. Solutions of the latterequation are in one-to-one correspondence to thesolutions of the Fourier-transformed Dirac equation.Finally, the equation is reformulated as an equation for characteristic matrices.     

A Hybrid Kinetic-Quantum Model for Stationary Electron Transport

Interface conditions between a classical transport model described by the Boltzmann equation and a quantum model described by a set of Schrödinger equations are presented in the one-dimensional stationary setting. These interface conditions, derived thanks to an asymptotic analysis of the Wigner transform, are shown to be flux-preserving and are used to build a hybrid model consisting of a quantum zone surrounded by two classical ones. The hybrid model is shown to be well posed when the potential is either prescribed or computed self-consistently, and the semiclassical limit of the problem is shown to give the right interface conditions between two kinetic regions (the electrostatic potential being fixed). This model can be used to describe far-from-equilibrium electron transport in a resonant tunneling diode.     

Method of green's functions in the theory of quantum kinetic equations. II

The kinetic and antikinetic equations are obtained for the single-particle Wigner function in the context of the method of Green's time-temperature functions for an inhomogeneous system of weakly interacting particles situated in a time-dependent electric field. The kinetic equation is derived here from the equation of motion for Green's function, satisfying the causality condition.     

Wigner time delay and related concepts: Application to transport in coherent conductors

The concepts of Wigner time delay and Wigner–Smith matrix allow us to characterise temporal aspects of a quantum scattering process. The paper reviews the statistical properties of the Wigner time delay for disordered systems; the case of disorder in 1D with a chiral symmetry is discussed and the relation with exponential functionals of the Brownian motion is underlined. Another approach for the analysis of time delay statistics is the random matrix approach, from which we review few results. As a practical illustration, we briefly outline a theory of non-linear transport and AC transport developed by Büttiker and coworkers, where the concept of Wigner–Smith time delay matrix is a central piece allowing us to describe screening properties in out-of-equilibrium coherent conductors.     

Towards Nonlinear Quantum Fokker-Planck Equations

It is demonstrated how the equilibrium semiclassical approach of Coffey et al. can be improved to describe more correctly the evolution. As a result a new semiclassical Klein-Kramers equation for the Wigner function is derived, which remains quantum for a free quantum Brownian particle as well. It is transformed to a semiclassical Smoluchowski equation, which leads to our semiclassical generalization of the classical Einstein law of Brownian motion derived before. A possibility is discussed how to extend these semiclassical equations to nonlinear quantum Fokker-Planck equations based on the Fisher information.     

Relativistic quantum kinetic analysis of a pion-nucleon system

A relativistic plasma of nucleons interacting through pions via the usual isospin-invariant Yukawa coupling is analyzed in the framework of the covariant Wigner function technique. The method is manifestly covariant and the temperature effects are considered. The relativistic quantum BBGKY hierarchy for the pion-nucleon system is derived. By generalizing the Bogolioubov analysis of the classical BBGKY hierarchy a non-perturbative renormalizable method is elaborated which allows the solution of the kinetic problem in form of power series of two cluster parameters which measure the importance of correlations. In the lowest order of the cluster expansion (Hartree approximation or zero-order approximation) the quasi-nucleon Fock space is introduced, the fermion Wigner function in the thermodynamic equilibrium is obtained and the vacuum effects are renormalized. In this approximation the plasma behaves as a perfect Fermi gas of nucleons and antinucleons, but there exists an abnormal configuration with a uniform pion condensate which is unstable. In the next approximation (quadratic in the small parameters) the quasi-pion dispersion relation is obtained and the vacuum polarization tensor is renormalized. The quasi-pion rest-mass spectra (“plasma frequency”) and the effective-coupling behaviour as functions of the thermodynamic state are given. By estimating the size of the cluster parameters the self-consistency of the approximation scheme is proved. The quasi-pion Fock space is introduced and the quasi-pion equilibrium Wigner function is obtained. From these results the problem of the higher-order corrections to the Hartree thermodynamics is outlined.     

Local boundary conditions for NMR-relaxation in digitized porous media

A simple method has been introduced to render the equilibrium solution of the Wigner equation for all orders of the quantum correction. This process generates a recursion relation involving the coefficients of the different powers of the momentum. The technique relies on an appropriate guess for the trial solution and differs from the Wigner’s original work. The solution is yielded in a compact exponential form with a polynomial of momentum in the argument and regains Wigner’s form when expansion of the exponential factor is carried out. The study is also important in the investigation of various closed as well as open quantum mechanical systems. In addition, this solution may be employed to obtain the nonequilibrium one particle Wigner distribution in the relaxation-time approximation and under near-equilibrium condition.     

Fractional Fourier Transformation for Quantum Mechanical Wave Functions Studied by Virtue of IWOP Technique

Starting from the optical fractional Fourier transform (FFT) and using the technique of integration withinan ordered product of operators we establish a formalism of FFT for quantum mechanical wave functions. In doing so, theessence of FFT can be seen more clearly, and the FFT of some wave functions can be derived more directly and concisely.We also point out that different FFT integral kernels correspond to different quantum mechanical representations. Theyare generalized FFT. The relationship between the FFT and the rotated Wigner operator is studied by virtue of theWeyl ordered form of the Wigner operator.     

The Phonon Boltzmann Equation, Properties and Link to Weakly Anharmonic Lattice Dynamics

For low density gases the validity of the Boltzmann transport equation is well established. The central object is the one-particle distribution function, f, which in the Boltzmann-Grad limit satisfies the Boltzmann equation. Grad and, much refined, Cercignani argue for the existence of this limit on the basis of the BBGKY hierarchy for hard spheres. At least for a short kinetic time span, the argument can be made mathematically precise following the seminal work of Lanford. In this article a corresponding program is undertaken for weakly nonlinear, both discrete and continuum, wave equations. Our working example is the harmonic lattice with a weakly nonquadratic on-site potential. We argue that the role of the Boltzmann f-function is taken over by the Wigner function, which is a very convenient device to filter the slow degrees of freedom. The Wigner function, so to speak, labels locally the covariances of dynamically almost stationary measures. One route to the phonon Boltzmann equation is a Gaussian decoupling, which is based on the fact that the purely harmonic dynamics has very good mixing properties. As a further approach the expansion in terms of Feynman diagrams is outlined. Both methods are extended to the quantized version of the weakly nonlinear wave equation.The resulting phonon Boltzmann equation has been hardly studied on a rigorous level. As one novel contribution we establish that the spatially homogeneous stationary solutions are precisely the thermal Wigner functions. For three phonon processes such a result requires extra conditions on the dispersion law. We also outline the reasoning leading to Fourier’s law for heat conduction.     

自旋为整数的Bargmann-Wigner方程的严格解

从自旋为任意整数的Bargmann-Wigner方程出发,导出了自旋为整数的场的易于求解的相对论性波动方程,在坐标表象中求解此方程,严格导出了自旋为整数的场的场函数.     

Theory of hot-electron quantum diffusion in semiconductors

In the linear response regime close to equilibrium, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem relates linear transport coefficients via the well-known Green–Kubo or Einstein relation. The latter embodies a deep connection between fluctuations causing diffusion and dissipation, which are responsible for a finite mobility. Far from equilibrium, however, the Einstein relation is no longer valid so that both the mobility and diffusivity gain their own physical integrity. Consequently, beyond a linear response, both quantities have to be described by different approaches. Unfortunately, there is a strong imbalance of research activities devoted to the study of both transport mechanisms in semiconductors. On one hand, the rich physics of high-field quantum drift in semiconducting structures has a long history and has reached a high level of sophistication. On the other hand, there are only comparatively few and unsystematic studies that cover quantum diffusion of carriers under high-field conditions. This review aims at reducing this gap by presenting a unified approach to quantum drift and quantum diffusion. Starting from a semi-phenomenological basis, a quantum theory of transport coefficients is developed for one- as well as multi-band models. Physical implications are illustrated by selected applications whereby the quantum character of the approach is emphasized. Furthermore, the basic unified treatment of transport coefficients is extended by accounting for the two-time dependence of one-particle correlation functions in quantum statistics. As an application, a phononless transport mechanism is identified, which solely originates from the double-time nature of the evolution. Finally, additional examples are presented that illustrate the important role played by quantum diffusion in semiconductor physics.