Tomograms in the Quantum-Classical transition

The quantum-classical limits for quantum tomograms are studied and compared with the corresponding classical tomograms, using two different definitions for the limit. One is the Planck limit where $\hbar \to 0$ in all $\hbar$-dependent physical observables, and the other is the Ehrenfest limit where $\hbar \to 0$ while keeping constant the mean value of the energy.The Ehrenfest limit of eigenstate tomograms for a particle in a box and a harmonic oscillatoris shown to agree with the corresponding classical tomograms of phase-space distributions, after a time averaging. The Planck limit of superposition state tomograms of the harmonic oscillator demostrating the decreasing contribution of interferences terms as $\hbar \to 0$.Comment: 21 page

Gravitational duality near de Sitter space

Gravitational instantons ''Lambda-instantons'' are defined here for any given value Lambda of the cosmological constant. A multiple of the Euler characteristic appears as an upper bound for the de Sitter action and as a lower bound for a family of quadratic actions. The de Sitter action itself is found to be equivalent to a simple and natural quadratic action. In this paper we also describe explicitly the reparameterization and duality invariances of gravity (in 4 dimensions) linearized about de Sitter space. A noncovariant doubling of the fields using the Hamiltonian formalism leads to first order time evolution with manifest duality symmetry. As a special case we recover the linear flat space result of Henneaux and Teitelboim by a smooth limiting process.Comment: 13 pages, no figure - v2 contains only small redactional changes (one reference added) and is essentially the published versio

On the meaning and interpretation of Tomography in abstract Hilbert spaces

The mechanism of describing quantum states by standard probability (tomographic one) instead of wave function or density matrix is elucidated. Quantum tomography is formulated in an abstract Hilbert space framework, by means of the identity decompositions in the Hilbert space of hermitian linear operators, with trace formula as scalar product of operators. Decompositions of identity are considered with respect to over-complete families of projectors labeled by extra parameters and containing a measure, depending on these parameters. It plays the role of a Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization kernel. When the measure is equal to one, the decomposition of identity coincides with a positive operator valued measure (POVM) decomposition. Examples of spin tomography, photon number tomography and symplectic tomography are reconsidered in this new framework.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Lett.

Entangling macroscopic oscillators exploiting radiation pressure

It is shown that radiation pressure can be profitably used to entangle {\it macroscopic} oscillators like movable mirrors, using present technology. We prove a new sufficient criterion for entanglement and show that the achievable entanglement is robust against thermal noise. Its signature can be revealed using common optomechanical readout apparatus.Comment: 4 pages, 2 eps figures, new separability criterion added, new figure 2, authors list change

The harmonic oscillator on Riemannian and Lorentzian configuration spaces of constant curvature

The harmonic oscillator as a distinguished dynamical system can be defined not only on the Euclidean plane but also on the sphere and on the hyperbolic plane, and more generally on any configuration space with constant curvature and with a metric of any signature, either Riemannian (definite positive) or Lorentzian (indefinite). In this paper we study the main properties of these `curved' harmonic oscillators simultaneously on any such configuration space, using a Cayley-Klein (CK) type approach, with two free parameters \ki, \kii which altogether correspond to the possible values for curvature and signature type: the generic Riemannian and Lorentzian spaces of constant curvature (sphere ${\bf S}^2$, hyperbolic plane ${\bf H}^2$, AntiDeSitter sphere {\bf AdS}^{\unomasuno} and DeSitter sphere {\bf dS}^{\unomasuno}) appear in this family, with the Euclidean and Minkowski spaces as flat limits. We solve the equations of motion for the `curved' harmonic oscillator and obtain explicit expressions for the orbits by using three different methods: first by direct integration, second by obtaining the general CK version of the Binet's equation and third, as a consequence of its superintegrable character. The orbits are conics with centre at the potential origin in any CK space, thereby extending this well known Euclidean property to any constant curvature configuration space. The final part of the article, that has a more geometric character, presents those results of the theory of conics on spaces of constant curvature which are pertinent.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figure

Evolution of Anisotropies in Eddington-Born-Infeld Cosmology

Recently a Born-Infeld action for dark energy and dark matter that uses additional affine connections was proposed. At background level, it was shown that the new proposal can mimic the standard cosmological evolution. In Bianchi cosmologies, contrary to the scalar field approach (e.g., Chaplygin gas), the new approach leads to anisotropic pressure, raising the issues of stability of the isotropic solution under anisotropic perturbations and, being it stable, how the anisotropies evolve. In this work, the Eddington-Born-Infeld proposal is extended to a Bianchi type I scenario and residual post-inflationary anisotropies are shown to decay in time. Moreover, it is shown that the shears decay following a damped oscillatory pattern, instead of the standard exponential-like decay. Allowing for some fine tuning on the initial conditions, standard theoretical bounds on the shears can be avoided.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. v2: ref. added, v3: figs. improved, new paragraph in the Conclusions. Accepted in PR

Uncertainty relations in curved spaces

Uncertainty relations for particle motion in curved spaces are discussed. The relations are shown to be topologically invariant. New coordinate system on a sphere appropriate to the problem is proposed. The case of a sphere is considered in details. The investigation can be of interest for string and brane theory, solid state physics (quantum wires) and quantum optics.Comment: published version; phase space structure discussion adde

About Zitterbewegung and electron structure

We start from the spinning electron theory by Barut and Zanghi, which has been recently translated into the Clifford algebra language. We "complete" such a translation, first of all, by expressing in the Clifford formalism a particular Barut-Zanghi (BZ) solution, which refers (at the classical limit) to an internal helical motion with a time-like speed [and is here shown to originate from the superposition of positive and negative frequency solutions of the Dirac equation]. Then, we show how to construct solutions of the Dirac equation describing helical motions with light-like speed, which meet very well the standard interpretation of the velocity operator in the Dirac equation theory (and agree with the solution proposed by Hestenes, on the basis --however-- of ad-hoc assumptions that are unnecessary in the present approach). The above results appear to support the conjecture that the Zitterbewegung motion (a helical motion, at the classical limit) is responsible for the electron spin.Comment: LaTeX; 11 pages; this is a corrected version of work appeared partly in Phys. Lett. B318 (1993) 623 and partly in "Particles, Gravity and Space-Time" (ed.by P.I.Pronin & G.A.Sardanashvily; World Scient., Singapore, 1996), p.34