Quantum probability

Quantum probability was developed in the 1980s as a noncommutative analog of the Kolmogorovian theory
of stochastic processes.[1][2][3][4][5] One of its aims is to clarify the mathematical foundations of quantum
theory and its statistical interpretation.[6][7]

A significant recent application to physics is the dynamical solution of the quantum measurement
problem,[8][9] by giving constructive models of quantum observation processes which resolve many famous
paradoxes of quantum mechanics.

Some recent advances are based on quantum filtering[10] and feedback control theory as applications of
quantum stochastic calculus.

Contents
Orthodox quantum mechanics
Motivation
Mathematical definition
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Orthodox quantum mechanics

Orthodox quantum mechanics has two seemingly contradictory mathematical descriptions:

1. deterministic unitary time evolution (governed by the Schrödinger equation) and

2. stochastic (random) wavefunction collapse.

Most physicists are not concerned with this apparent problem. Physical intuition usually provides the answer,
and only in unphysical systems (e.g., Schrödinger's cat, an isolated atom) do paradoxes seem to occur.

Orthodox quantum mechanics can be reformulated in a quantum-probabilistic framework, where quantum

filtering theory (see Bouten et al.[11][12] for introduction or Belavkin, 1970s[13][14][15]) gives the natural
description of the measurement process. This new framework encapsulates the standard postulates of quantum
mechanics, and thus all of the science involved in the orthodox postulates.

Motivation

In classical probability theory, information is summarized by the sigma-algebra F of events in a classical

probability space (Ω, F,P). For example, F could be the σ-algebra σ(X) generated by a random variable X,
which contains all the information on the values taken by X. We wish to describe quantum information in
similar algebraic terms, in such a way as to capture the non-commutative features and the information made
available in an experiment. The appropriate algebraic structure for observables, or more generally operators, is
a *-algebra. A (unital) *- algebra is a complex vector space A of operators on a Hilbert space H that

contains the identity I and

is closed under composition (a multiplication) and adjoint (an involution *): a ∈ A implies a* ∈
A.

A state P on A is a linear functional P : A → C (where C is the field of complex numbers) such that 0 ≤ P(a*
a) for all a ∈ A (positivity) and P(I) = 1 (normalization). A projection is an element p ∈ A such that p2 = p =
p* .

Mathematical definition
The basic definition in quantum probability is that of a quantum probability space, sometimes also referred to
as an algebraic or noncommutative probability space.

Definition : Quantum probability space.

A quantum probability space is a pair (A, P), where A is a *-algebra and P is a state.

This definition is a generalization of the definition of a probability space in Kolmogorovian probability theory,
in the sense that every (classical) probability space gives rise to a quantum probability space if A is chosen as
the *-algebra of almost everywhere bounded complex-valued measurable functions.

The idempotents p ∈ A are the events in A, and P(p) gives the probability of the event p.

See also
Gleason's theorem
Probability amplitude

References
1. L. Accardi; A. Frigerio & J.T. Lewis (1982). "Quantum stochastic processes" (https://art.torvergat
a.it/bitstream/2108/83328/1/Ac84_Quantum%20Stochastic%20Processes.pdf) (PDF). Publ.
Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 18 (1): 97–133. doi:10.2977/prims/1195184017 (https://doi.org/10.2977%2
Fprims%2F1195184017).
2. R.L. Hudson, K.R. Parthasarathy; Parthasarathy (1984). "Quantum Ito's formula and stochastic
evolutions". Comm. Math. Phys. 93 (3): 301–323. Bibcode:1984CMaPh..93..301H (https://ui.ad
sabs.harvard.edu/abs/1984CMaPh..93..301H). doi:10.1007/BF01258530 (https://doi.org/10.100
7%2FBF01258530).
3. K.R. Parthasarathy (1992). An introduction to quantum stochastic calculus. Monographs in
Mathematics. 85. Basel: Birkhäuser Verlag.
4. D. Voiculescu; K. Dykema; A. Nica (1992). Free random variables. A noncommutative
probability approach to free products with applications to random matrices, operator algebras
and harmonic analysis on free groups. CRM Monograph Series. 1. Providence, RI: American
Mathematical Society.
5. P.-A. Meyer (1993). Quantum probability for probabilists. Lecture Notes in Mathematics. 1538.
 6. John von Neumann (1929). "Allgemeine Eigenwerttheorie Hermitescher
Funktionaloperatoren". Mathematische Annalen. 102: 49–131. doi:10.1007/BF01782338 (http
s://doi.org/10.1007%2FBF01782338).
7. John von Neumann (1932). Mathematische Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik. Die
Grundlehren der Mathematischen Wissenschaften, Band 38. Berlin: Springer.
8. V. P. Belavkin (1995). "A Dynamical Theory of Quantum Measurement and Spontaneous
Localization". Russian Journal of Mathematical Physics. 3 (1): 3–24. arXiv:math-ph/0512069 (h
ttps://arxiv.org/abs/math-ph/0512069). Bibcode:2005math.ph..12069B (https://ui.adsabs.harvar
d.edu/abs/2005math.ph..12069B).
9. V. P. Belavkin (2000). "Dynamical Solution to the Quantum Measurement Problem, Causality,
and Paradoxes of the Quantum Century". Open Systems and Information Dynamics. 7 (2): 101–
129. arXiv:quant-ph/0512187 (https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0512187).
doi:10.1023/A:1009663822827 (https://doi.org/10.1023%2FA%3A1009663822827).
10. V. P. Belavkin (1999). "Measurement, filtering and control in quantum open dynamical
systems". Reports on Mathematical Physics. 43 (3): A405–A425. arXiv:quant-ph/0208108 (http
s://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0208108). Bibcode:1999RpMP...43A.405B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.
edu/abs/1999RpMP...43A.405B). CiteSeerX 10.1.1.252.701 (https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewd
oc/summary?doi=10.1.1.252.701). doi:10.1016/S0034-4877(00)86386-7 (https://doi.org/10.101
6%2FS0034-4877%2800%2986386-7).
11. Bouten, Luc; Van Handel, Ramon; James, Matthew R. (2007). "An Introduction to Quantum
Filtering". SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization. 46 (6): 2199–2241. arXiv:math/0601741
(https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0601741). doi:10.1137/060651239 (https://doi.org/10.1137%2F0606
51239). ISSN 0363-0129 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0363-0129).
12. Luc Bouten; Ramon van Handel; Matthew R. James (2009). "A discrete invitation to quantum
filtering and feedback control". SIAM Review. 51 (2): 239–316. arXiv:math/0606118 (https://arxi
v.org/abs/math/0606118). Bibcode:2009SIAMR..51..239B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/20
09SIAMR..51..239B). doi:10.1137/060671504 (https://doi.org/10.1137%2F060671504).
13. V. P. Belavkin (1972–1974). "Optimal linear randomized filtration of quantum boson signals".
Problems of Control and Information Theory. 3 (1): 47–62.
14. V. P. Belavkin (1975). "Optimal multiple quantum statistical hypothesis testing". Stochastics. 1
(1–4): 315–345. doi:10.1080/17442507508833114 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F174425075088
33114).
15. V. P. Belavkin (1978). "Optimal quantum filtration of Makovian signals [In Russian]". Problems
of Control and Information Theory. 7 (5): 345–360.

Further reading
Khrennikov, Andrei Y. (2009). "Classical (Kolmogorovian) and Quantum (Born) Probability" (htt
ps://www.google.com/books/edition/Ubiquitous_Quantum_Structure/pSVKAAAAQBAJ?hl=en&
gbpv=1&pg=PA19). Ubiquitous Quantum Structure : From Psychology to Finance. Berlin:
Springer. pp. 19–40. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-05101-2_2 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-642-
05101-2_2). ISBN 978-3-642-05100-5.
Szabó, László E. (2001). "Critical Reflections on Quantum Probability Theory". In Rédei,
Miklós; Stöltzner, Michael (eds.). John von Neumann and the Foundations of Quantum Physics.
Boston: Kluwer. pp. 201–219. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-2012-0_13 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2F
978-94-017-2012-0_13). ISBN 0-7923-6812-6.

External links
Association for Quantum Probability and Infinite Dimensional Analysis (AQPIDA) (https://sites.g
oogle.com/site/associationqp/home)
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