Schwinger's picture of quantum mechanics II: Algebras and observables Articles uri icon

publication date

  • July 2019

issue

  • 9(1950136)

volume

  • 16

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0219-8878

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1793-6977

abstract

  • The kinematical foundations of Schwinger's algebra of selective measurements were discussed in [F. M. Ciaglia, A. Ibort and G. Marmo, Schwinger's picture of quantum mechanics I: Groupoids, To appear in IJGMMP (2019)] and, as a consequence of this, a new picture of quantum mechanics based on groupoids was proposed. In this paper, the dynamical aspects of the theory are analyzed. For that, the algebra generated by the observables, as well as the notion of state, are discussed, and the structure of the transition functions, that plays an instrumental role in Schwinger's picture, is elucidated. A Hamiltonian picture of dynamical evolution emerges naturally, and the formalism offers a simple way to discuss the quantum-to-classical transition. Some basic examples, the qubit and the harmonic oscillator, are examined, and the relation with the standard Dirac&-Schrödinger and Born&-Jordan&-Heisenberg pictures is discussed.

keywords

  • schwinger algebra; groupoids; groupoid algebra; c*-algebra; states; hamiltonian; dynamical flow