arXiv subjects

Alberto Ibort

Publications and source records attributed to Alberto Ibort.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Schwinger's Picture of Quantum Mechanics I: Groupoids

A new picture of Quantum Mechanics based on the theory of groupoids is presented. This picture provides the mathematical background for Schwinger's algebra of selective measurements and helps to understand its scope and eventual applications. In this first paper, the kinematical background is described using elementary notions from category theory, in particular the notion of 2-groupoids as well as their representations. Some basic results are presented, and the relation with the standard Dirac-Schrödinger and Born-Jordan-Heisenberg pictures are succinctly discussed.

math-ph↗

arXiv2019

Differential Geometry of Quantum States, Observables and Evolution

The geometrical description of Quantum Mechanics is reviewed and proposed as an alternative picture to the standard ones. The basic notions of observables, states, evolution and composition of systems are analised from this perspective, the relevant geometrical structures and their associated algebraic properties are highlighted, and the Qubit example is thoroughly discussed.

math-ph↗

arXiv2018

Stratified Manifold of Quantum States, actions of the complex special linear group

We review the geometry of the space of quantum states $\mathscr{S}(\mathcal{H})$ of a finite-level quantum system with Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$ from a group-theoretical point of view. This space carries two stratifications generated by the action of two different Lie groups: the special unitary group $\mathcal{SU}(\mathcal{H})$ and its complexification $\mathcal{SL}(\mathcal{H})$, the complex special linear group. A stratum of the stratification generated by $\mathcal{SU}(\mathcal{H})$ is composed of isospectral states, that is, density operators with the same spectrum, A stratum of the stratification generated by $\mathcal{SL}(\mathcal{H})$ is composed of quantum states with the same rank. We prove that on every submanifold of isospectral quantum states there is also a canonical left action of $\mathcal{SL}(\mathcal{H})$ which is related with the canonical Kähler structure on isospectral quantum states. The fundamental vector fields of this $\mathcal{SL}(\mathcal{H})$-action are divided into Hamiltonian and gradient vector fields. The former give rise to invertible maps on $\mathscr{S}(\mathcal{H})$ that preserve the von Neumann entropy and the convex structure of $\mathscr{S}(\mathcal{H})$, while the latter give rise to invertible maps on $\mathscr{S}(\mathcal{H})$ that preserve the von Neumann entropy but not the convex structure of $\mathscr{S}(\mathcal{H})$. A similar decomposition is given for the $\mathcal{SL}(\mathcal{H})$-action generating the stratification of $\mathscr{S}(\mathcal{H})$ into manifolds of quantum states with the same rank, where gradient vector fields preserve the rank but do not preserve entropy. Some comments on multipartite quantum systems are made. It is proved that the sets of product states of a multipartite quantum system are homogeneous manifolds for the action of the complex special linear group associated with the partition.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

A gentle introduction to Schwinger's formulation of quantum mechanics: The groupoid picture

In this short letter we review Schwinger's formulation of Quantum Mechanics and we argue that the mathematical structure behind Schwinger's "Symbolism of Atomic Measurements" is that of a groupoid. In this framework, both the Hilbert space (Schrödinger picture) and the $C^{*}$-algebra (Heisenberg picture) of the system turn out to be derived concepts, that is, they arise from the underlying groupoid structure.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Geometrical Structures for Classical and Quantum Probability Spaces

On the affine space containing the space $\mathcal{S}$ of quantum states of finite-dimensional systems there are contravariant tensor fields by means of which it is possible to define Hamiltonian and gradient vector fields encoding relevant geometrical properties of $\mathcal{S}$. Guided by Dirac's analogy principle, we will use them as inspiration to define contravariant tensor fields, Hamiltonian and gradient vector fields on the affine space containing the space of fair probability distributions on a finite sample space and analyse their geometrical properties. Most of our considerations will be dealt with for the simple example of a three-level system.

math-ph↗

arXiv2017

Dynamical aspects in the Quantizer-Dequantizer formalism

The use of the quantizer-dequantizer formalism to describe the evolution of a quantum system is reconsidered. We show that it is possible to embed a manifold in the space of quantum states of a given auxiliary system by means of an appropriate quantizer-dequantizer system. If this manifold of states is invariant with respect to some unitary evolution, the quantizer-dequantizer system provides a classical-like realization of such dynamics, which in general is non linear. Integrability properties are also discussed. Weyl systems and generalized coherente states are used as a simple illustration of these ideas.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Dynamical Vector Fields on the Manifold of Quantum States

In this paper we shall consider the stratified manifold of quantum states and the vector fields which act on it. In particular, we show that the infinitesimal generator of the GKLS evolution is composed of a generator of unitary transformations plus a gradient vector field along with a Kraus vector field transversal to the strata defined by the involutive distribution generated by the former ones.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Covariant Jacobi Brackets for Test Particles

We show that the space of observables of test particles carries a natural Jacobi structure which is manifestly invariant under the action of the Poincaré group. Poisson algebras may be obtained by imposing further requirements. A generalization of Peierls procedure is used to extend this Jacobi bracket on the space of time-like geodesics on Minkowski space-time.

math-ph↗

arXiv2017

Covariant Brackets for Particles and Fields

A geometrical approach to the covariant formulation of the dynamics of relativistic systems is introduced. A realization of Peierls brackets by means of a bivector field over the space of solutions of the Euler-Lagrange equations of a variational principle is presented. The method is illustrated with some relevant examples.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

Modeling sampling in tensor products of unitary invariant subspaces

The use of unitary invariant subspaces of a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$ is nowadays a recognized fact in the treatment of sampling problems. Indeed, shift-invariant subspaces of $L^2(\mathbb{R})$ and also periodic extensions of finite signals are remarkable examples where this occurs. As a consequence, the availability of an abstract unitary sampling theory becomes a useful tool to handle these problems. In this paper we derive a sampling theory for tensor products of unitary invariant subspaces. This allows to merge the cases of finitely/infinitely generated unitary invariant subspaces formerly studied in the mathematical literature, it also allows to introduce the several variables case. As the involved samples are identified as frame coefficients in suitable tensor product spaces, the relevant mathematical technique is that of frame theory, involving both, finite/infinite dimensional cases.

math.FA↗

arXiv2016

On A Covariant Hamiltonian Description of Palatini's Gravity on Manifolds with Boundary

A covariant Hamiltonian description of Palatini's gravity on manifolds with boundary is presented. Palatini's gravity appears as a gauge theory satisfying a constraint in a certain topological limit. This approach allows the consideration of non-trivial topological situations. The multisymplectic framework for first-order covariant Hamiltonian field theories on manifolds with boundary, developed in [Ib15], enables analysis of the system at the boundary. The reduced phase space of the system is determined to be a symplectic manifold with a distinguished isotropic submanifold corresponding to the boundary data of the solutions of the Euler-Lagrange equations.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

Covariant Hamiltonian Field Theories on Manifolds with Boundary: Yang-Mills Theories

The multisymplectic formalism of field theories developed by many mathematicians over the last fifty years is extended in this work to deal with manifolds that have boundaries. In particular, we develop a multisymplectic framework for first order covariant Hamiltonian field theories on manifolds with boundaries. This work is a geometric fulfillment of Fock's characterization of field theories as it appears in recent work by Cattaneo, Mnev and Reshetikhin [Ca14]. This framework leads to a true geometric understanding of conventional choices for boundary conditions. For example, the boundary condition that the pull-back of the 1-form on the cotangent space of fields at the boundary vanish, i.e. π* α= 0 , is shown to be a consequence of our finding that the boundary fields of the theory lie in the 0-level set of the moment map of the gauge group of the theory. It is also shown that the natural way to interpret Euler-Lagrange equations as an evolution system near the boundary is as a presymplectic system in an extended phase space containing the natural configuration and momenta fields at the boundary together with extra degrees of freedom corresponding to the transversal components at the boundary of the momenta fields of the theory. The consistency conditions at the boundary are analyzed and the reduced phase space of the system is determined to be a symplectic manifold with a distinguished isotropic submanifold corresponding to the boundary data of the solutions of Euler-Lagrange equations. This setting makes it possible to define well-posed boundary conditions, and provides the adequate setting for the canonical quantization of the system. The notions of the theory will be tested against three significant examples: scalar fields, Poissonσ-model and Yang-Mills theories.

math-ph↗

arXiv2015

The Contact Structure in the Space of Light Rays

The natural topological, differentiable and geometrical structures on the space of light rays of a given spacetime are discussed. The relation between the causality properties of the original spacetime and the natural structures on the space of light rays are stressed. Finally, a symplectic geometrical approach to the construction of the canonical contact structure on the space of light rays is offered.

math.DG↗

arXiv2014

On Self-adjoint extensions and symmetries in Quantum Mechanics

Given a unitary representation of a Lie group $G$ on a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$, we develop the theory of $G$-invariant self-adjoint extensions of symmetric operators both using von Neumann's theorem and the theory of quadratic forms. We also analyze the relation between the reduction theory of the unitary representation and the reduction of the $G$-invariant unbounded operator. We also prove a $G$-invariant version of the representation theorem for quadratic forms. The previous results are applied to the study of $G$-invariant self-adjoint extensions of the Laplace-Beltrami operator on a smooth Riemannian manifold with boundary on which the group $G$ acts. These extensions are labeled by admissible unitaries $U$ acting on the $L^2$-space at the boundary and having spectral gap at $-1$. It is shown that if the unitary representation $V$ of the symmetry group $G$ is traceable, then the self-adjoint extension of the Laplace-Beltrami operator determined by $U$ is $G$-invariant if $U$ and $V$ commute at the boundary. Various significant examples are discussed at the end.

math-ph↗

arXiv2014

Numerical Solutions of the spectral problem for arbitrary self-adjoint extensions of the 1D Schroedinger equation

A numerical algorithm to solve the spectral problem for arbitrary self-adjoint extensions of 1D regular Schroedinger operators is presented. It is shown that the set of all self-adjoint extensions of 1D regular Schroedinger operators is in one-to-one correspondence with the group of unitary operators on the finite dimensional Hilbert space of boundary data, and they are characterized by a generalized class of boundary conditions that include the well-known Dirichlet, Neumann, Robin, (quasi-)periodic boundary conditions, etc. The numerical algorithm is based on a nonlocal boundary extension of the finite element method and their convergence is proved. An appropriate basis of boundary functions must be introduced to deal with arbitrary boundary conditions and the conditioning of its computation is analyzed. Some significant numerical experiments are also discussed as well as the comparison with some standard algorithms. In particular it is shown that appropriate perturbations of standard boundary conditions for the free particle leads to the theoretically predicted result of very large absolute values of the negative groundlevels of the system as well as the localization of the corresponding eigenvectors at the boundary (edge states).

math-ph↗

arXiv2013

Self-adjoint extensions of the Laplace-Beltrami operator and unitaries at the boundary

We construct in this article a class of closed semi-bounded quadratic forms on the space of square integrable functions over a smooth Riemannian manifold with smooth boundary. Each of these quadratic forms specifies a semi-bounded self-adjoint extension of the Laplace-Beltrami operator. These quadratic forms are based on the Lagrange boundary form on the manifold and a family of domains parametrized by a suitable class of unitary operators on the boundary that will be called admissible. The corresponding quadratic forms are semi-bounded below and closable. Finally, the representing operators correspond to semi-bounded self-adjoint extensions of the Laplace-Beltrami operator. This family of extensions is compared with results existing in the literature and various examples and applications are discussed.

math.SP↗

arXiv2013

Convex bodies of states and maps

We give a general solution to the question when the convex hulls of orbits of quantum states on a finite-dimensional Hilbert space under unitary actions of a compact group have a non-empty interior in the surrounding space of all density states. The same approach can be applied to study convex combinations of quantum channels. The importance of both problems stems from the fact that, usually, only sets with non-vanishing volumes in the embedding spaces of all states or channels are of practical importance. For the group of local transformations on a bipartite system we characterize maximally entangled states by properties of a convex hull of orbits through them. We also compare two partial characteristics of convex bodies in terms of largest balls and maximum volume ellipsoids contained in them and show that, in general, they do not coincide. Separable states, mixed-unitary channels and k-entangled states are also considered as examples of our techniques.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

Geometrical description of algebraic structures: Applications to Quantum Mechanics

Geometrization of physical theories have always played an important role in their analysis and development. In this contribution we discuss various aspects concerning the geometrization of physical theories: from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. We will concentrate our attention into quantum theories and we will show how to use in a systematic way the transition from algebraic to geometrical structures to explore their geometry, mainly its Jordan-Lie structure.

math-ph↗