A trajectory description of quantum processes. I: Fundamentals. A Bohmian perspective.

DOI10.1007/978-3-642-18092-7MaRDI QIDQ655150zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 2 January 2012

Published in Lecture Notes in Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18092-7

Bohm's interpretation quantum physics solving quantum equations trajectory description of quantum phenomena

Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to quantum theory (81-01) Computational methods for problems pertaining to quantum theory (81-08) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Stochastic mechanics (including stochastic electrodynamics) (81P20) Feynman integrals and graphs; applications of algebraic topology and algebraic geometry (81Q30) Alternative quantum mechanics (including hidden variables, etc.) (81Q65)

Review text

Quantum equations are often not more complex than the corresponding classical (non-quantum) equations: e.g., the Schrödinger equation is similar in complexity to the corresponding equations of statistical physics. However, in practice, quantum equations are usually much more difficult to solve. One of the main reasons for this difficulty is that when we solve classical equations, we can use our physical intuition to simplify the expressions and speed up computations. In contrast, for quantum systems, our physical intuition is much less developed -- and often even misleading. Because of this, one of the efficient strategies of solving quantum equations is to reformulate these equations in terms of classical trajectories. Such a reformulation does not necessarily simplify the equations, but it helps to use the existing physical intuition when solving them. Corresponding techniques range from Kramers-Brillouin approximations to Feynman interpretation of quantum equations as integration over trajectories. The authors propose to use Bohm's interpretation of Schrödinger equation as a way to solve quantum equations. This interpretation was originally proposed as an alternative hidden-variable interpretation of quantum phenomena. We know now, after Bell's inequalities and Aspect's experiments, that localized hidden variables are inconsistent with observations. However, localized or not, Bohm's equations are equivalent to Schrödinger's one. The main ideas behind Bohm's equation is as follows. In quantum physics, once we know the wave function \(\psi(x)\), we can determine the probability density as \(\rho(x)=|\psi(x)|^2\); thus, the modulus of \(\psi(x)\) has an observational interpretation, as \(|\psi(x)|=\sqrt{\rho(x)}\). According to the Feynman integral interpretation, the phrase of the wave function can be interpreted as \(\mathrm{i}S/\hbar\), where \(S\) is the \textit{action} -- a quantity optimizing which describes non-quantum trajectories. If we represent \(\psi(x)\) as \(\sqrt{\rho(x)}\cdot \exp(\mathrm{i}S/\hbar)\), then Schrödinger's equations corresponding to potential field \(V\) can be described as a density conservation equation for the density \(\rho\) and a statistical physics-type equation of motion in a potential field \(V+\Delta V\), with an additional term \(\Delta V\) depending on density \(\rho\). Just like in statistical mechanics in general, we can interpret the corresponding density as the density of numerous particles with ``current \(\vec J(x)=\rho(x)\vec v(x)\) proportional to \(\nabla S\); the only difference is that in Bohm's interpretation, the potential field changes when density changes. The authors believe that analyzing the corresponding trajectories is a promising approach to solving quantum equations. The books starts with a detailed introduction to classical mechanics in its various forms. In addition to the usual description of closed system, the book also overviews different techniques for analyzing open systems. Then, the book overviews quantum mechanics, with a special emphasis on the existing trajectory-based approaches to solving quantum problems. Finally, the Bohmian approach is presented. Practical examples of using Bohmian approach are promised in Part II of this two-book series.

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