From classical to quantum models: the regularising Rôle of integrals, symmetry and probabilities

DOI10.1007/S10701-018-0219-3zbMATH Open1411.81038arXiv1801.02604OpenAlexW2783339604MaRDI QIDQ1735883FDOQ1735883

Authors: Jean Pierre Gazeau 

Publication date: 29 March 2019

Published in: Foundations of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: In physics, one is often misled in thinking that the mathematical model of a system is part of or is that system itself. Think of expressions commonly used in physics like "point" particle, motion "on the line", "smooth" observables, wave function, and even "going to infinity", without forgetting perplexing phrases like "classical world" versus "quantum world".... On the other hand, when a mathematical model becomes really inoperative with regard to correct predictions, one is forced to replace it with a new one. It is precisely what happened with the emergence of quantum physics. Classical models were (progressively) superseded by quantum ones through quantization prescriptions. These procedures appear often as ad hoc recipes. In the present paper, well defined quantizations, based on integral calculus and Weyl-Heisenberg symmetry, are described in simple terms through one of the most basic examples of mechanics. Starting from (quasi-) probability distribution(s) on the Euclidean plane viewed as the phase space for the motion of a point particle on the line, i.e., its classical model, we will show how to build corresponding quantum model(s) and associated probabilities (e.g. Husimi) or quasi-probabilities (e.g. Wigner) distributions. We highlight the regularizing role of such procedures with the familiar example of the motion of a particle with a variable mass and submitted to a step potential.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.02604

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Finite-dimensional groups and algebras motivated by physics and their representations (81R05) Commutation relations and statistics as related to quantum mechanics (general) (81S05) Phase-space methods including Wigner distributions, etc. applied to problems in quantum mechanics (81S30) Axiomatics, foundations (70A05)

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Cited In (9)

• Quantum smooth boundary forces from constrained geometries
• Novel effect induced by spacetime curvature in quantum hydrodynamics
• Pointillisme à la Signac and construction of a quantum fiber bundle over convex bodies
• Regularized quantum motion in a bounded set: Hilbertian aspects
• Phase spaces, parity operators, and the Born-Jordan distribution
• Quantum and semi-classical aspects of confined systems with variable mass
• Extended statistical modeling under symmetry; the link toward quantum mechanics
• Covariant integral quantization of the unit disk
• 2-D covariant affine integral quantization(s)

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