Phase space propagators for quantum operators (Q2498779)

Various ways to describe the Heisenberg evolution of unitary operators are reviewed and compared with classical evolution. For a given unitary operator, its Heisenberg evolution corresponds classically to a canonical transformation that is viewed through a movig coordinate system. The general semiclassical study of unitary operators allows one to propagate arbitrary operators, including density operators, i.e. the Wigner functions. The various propagation kernels are different representations of the super-operators which act on the space of operators of a closed quantum system. The background literature for this subject, which spans several decades and various notations, is classified and unified.