Volume 79A, number 2,3 PHYSICS LETTERS 29 September 1980

GENERALIZED UNCERTAINTY RELATION AND CORRELATED COHERENT STATES

V.V. DODONOV, E.V. KURMYSHEV and V.!. MAN’KO

P.N. Lebedev Institute of Physics, Moscow, USSR

Received 26 June 1980

A generalized Heisenberg-type uncertainty relation is obtained for two arbitrary operators both in the case of pure
and of mixed states. As a rule equality is found to hold for pure quantum states only. New minimizing states called correlat-
ed coherent states, are constructed in explicit form, and their properties are studied.

The concept of coherent states introduced by -

/ ~
Glauber [1] has proved to be fruitful in quantum Sp(~F~F) 2~
physics. There is a large number of papers concerning
various generalizations of these states [2—7](we im- + ~~~AA)) )2
ply coherent states of the Heisenberg—Weyl group). + (~A~Z~A
(a
2 + 2 (~A~L~A
All the states of the above mentioned papers are relat-
ed to each other by means of canonical (unitary)
transformations, but each type has specific features + (L~IB~Z~B> — (1)
which might be useful for the solution of concrete 4(Z~A~~A)
>2
physical problems.
particular In this paper
case of generalized we consider
Glauber the cor-
states called +_~h~~A)]
4(~4+~4) —‘

related coherent states. These states minimize a more

accurate uncertainty relation (UR) than that usually (It is assumed that all the mean values exist.) Omitting
considered in quantum mechanics. The UR discussed the case (z~sA+Z~A)= 0 to be discussed separately one
below has been found for the first time by Schrodinger finds from condition (1) the required relation:
[8] and Robertson [9] for hermitian operators and - -
~[i((~A~B
pure states. We shall first of all generalize this relation (2)
for arbitrary operators and open quantum systems + ~ [((~A~B +
and then analyze it.
Let A and B be arbitrary (in general nonhermitian) It should be noted that relation (2) is a generalization
operators, and ,3 an arbitrary density matrix. Let us of the Schwarz inequality for mixed states.
introduce the operator F aZ~A+ i~B,where a As for hermitian operators, introducing the dis-
÷ia
2 is an arbitrary complex number and z.\A persions 2), 0B =

(A>,(A)~Sp(15A). The operator

evidently hermitian and positive
— F~FisHence,
semidefinite. = ((~A) (3)
because the density matrix ~ is positive semidefinite too, = ~ +
the inequality Sp(,~k~F) ~ 0 should be valid. Taking
into account the definition ofF one can rewrite this one can represent the UR (2) in the form
inequality as follows: 0A0B 0AB GAUB(! — r2)~~ ([A, B])12 (4)

where r a.4B1(UA UB)V2 is the correlation coefficient.

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Volume 79A, number 2,3 PHYSICS LETTERS 29 September 1980

This UR generalizes the result of refs. [8,9] for the
most general case of mixed states. In some particular
cases of mixed states this relation has been previously
proved in ref. [10] (two-dimensional Hilbert space)
and in ref. [11] (coordinate and momentum operators).
As is seen from relation (1), the necessary and suf-
ficient condition for the equality in (2) to hold is that
Sp(,3F~F~)= 0, where the operator F~is obtained
from F by setting
a1 = ~Ap/2~A~~A>
—i((L~A~I~B — 1, thushave
a2 = + ~~A)/2~A~A>.
—((~A~B
Any density matrix can be represented in the form
Let us consider the case when A and B are coordi-
nate and momentum operators, respectively, and find
the states, for which the equality in (4) holds at a fixed
value of r. First of all one notes that these states are
pure ones, because the operator Fis, in this case, a
linear combination ofcoordinate and momentum;
thus the equation Flp)= 0 has only one solution for
each concrete F. However, the minimizing state is
not uniquely determined here. We take for simplicity
ing= states [~,j3]
to =bei.eigenstates
It is clear that
of anthe new minimiz-
operator of the
formd = ~ei~ + ne~ñ,where ~,i~,p, ~,1i are real num-
bers. These states, denoted by a, r), are some generah-
zation of Glauber’s coherent states [1]: ala, r),
= a a, r) (a a complex number). The peculiarity of the

= p,~In )(n , discussed states, as compared with the ones of refs.

n [2—7],is that the taken correlation coefficient r 0.
5mn , p,~~‘0, = I .
It should bebelongtothe
operatora emphasized Hilbert
that thespace,
eigenstates
if andof theif
only
(mln> ‘ sin (i/i p) >0; this is equivalent to the condition
—

Therefore, we have in the case under consideration [a, à~J= 2~sin(ili p) >0 (by definition ~,~ >0).
—

- - Further, keeping in mind the condition mentioned

Sp(~FF~)= ~p~(nlfr~frIn)~0 - above, oneeasily finds r = —cos(i,li p) and the equal-
—

ity Gpaq(l r2) = 1/4 to hold true for all states Ia,
—

As far as the coefficients p,~are nonnegative one con- r).

cludes from the preceding relation that the minimizing If we set [a, â~]= 1 and ~i = 77/2, the following
density matrices, for which the equality in (2) holds, family of operators depending on the parameter i~
have the form = ~ is obtained:
~*=~PnnXPnI, Pn>O, ~p~=l, (6) ar,~[1 ~ !rl<1. (8)
n n 77(1—r)
where the state vectors I ~ are different orthonormal Their normalized eigenfunctions, called by us correl-
solutions of the equation ated coherent states, have the form:
~lp) 0. (7) (xla,r, (2ir?72)~/4ex~~_~
[i — ‘
If eq. (7) has one solution only, then the minimum is 4~ (1 — r )
approached in pure states. As far as the condition ax (9)
Sp(,~F~F~) = 0 is necessary and sufficient, and the + — — ~(a2 ÷al2)
eigenstates of the operator F coincide with those of
the operator 13F (i3 a complex number), the most It is interesting to note that states of the type (9) have
general procedure of constructing the minimizing state already been studied by Kennard [13], who has also
is as follows. One finds all solutions of the equation proved exactly the relation ~q ~p ~‘h/2. Recently
F I p) = 0 and chooses those, which satisfy eqs. (5). similar states were also considered in ref. [7], but
The states selected in this way are the minimizing ones. without connection with relation (4). If we set r = 0
It should be noted that the variational technique for and 77 = l/V’~,the states (9) become the usual
determining those normalizable pure states, which Glauber coherent states. The analytic properties of
give a minimum for the uncertainty product of two the states (9) (expansion of the unity operator, etc.)
noncommuting hermitian operators, has been devel- are just as these of other coherent states. For example,
opedin ref. [12].
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Volume 79A, number 2,3 PHYSICS LETTERS 29 September 1980

the expansion of the state I a, r, ~) in powers of a mal distribution to give the dispersion uq = 772, ~
2)] 1 and the correlation coefficient r.
gives us the eigenstates of the number operator: = [4772(1 r —

772,772 We note that the most general normal distribution

(10) (here z~= ~ u,~q)
—

+
4772(1 r2) 2(l_r2)h/2 ~ W=~/2exp(_2_2+~~~) (16)
with the corresponding eigenvalues n = 0, 1, 2 can be a quantum Wigner function, if and only if ~
These normalized eigenfiinctions in coordinate re- > 1/4, because this condition, coinciding with (4),
presentation are, as usual, expressed by means of leads to the relation ff W2(q, p) dp dq ( 1 being
Hermite polynomials: equivalent to the condition Sp(~32)~ 1, which has to
(xln, r, s~)=(2 be satisfied by any
the density
2 operator.
We consider main result of the present paper
77772)_1/4(2nn!)_11 (11)

Xexpl—-----—-
4772 1 [
—

(1 — r2)h/2

A direct calculation of the correlation factor Rn in the

)
I H~(f).
and the meaning of the introduced correlated coherent
states toabout
mation
>)~2/4 (we
be as the
follows.
system,
If one
one has
canno
only
additional
say that infor-
UpUq

restrict our discussion to coordinate and

state (11) leads us to the result ~R
0= r independent of momentum operators. If one knows the correlation
n. It should be pointed out that the system described coefficient r = apq/(opuq)1/2 not to be equal to zero
by the hamiltonian (10) is in fact the usual harmonic (there is additional inftrmation about the system), the
oscillator with the equation of motion ~ + = o. lower limit of the dispersion
2/[4(lproduct
— r2)].is In
clear to have
other words,
The operator (10)is
osdillator(Q2 reduced
+~2)/2by the to the hamiltonian
canonical of the
transformation athelarger value: UpUq > h
quantum fluctuations in a state with r * 0, gener-
ally speaking, are larger than in the state with r = 0.
r_____ This means in reality that the probability of tunnel
= ~ ~ = V’~77~ — [2(1 — (12) r2)I 1/2 penetration in a state with r *0 can be much larger
i.e. by changing the dimension of the coordinate and than in that with r = 0. We believe, in connection with
by introducing a new generalized momentum. The the above discussion, the following problem to be of
time-dependent canonical transformation interest: to generalize the UR (4) for the case of the
higher correlation momentsM
2)112, (13) an inequality of the form u~UB 1, > h2/4f(M
,M,~,i.e. to obtain
...

= ~ ~=~ = —r/(l — r 1 Ma).

- -

Q + 2yQ + Q/(l r
2) = 0
—
.
leads to the equation of the oscillator with friction:
(14) [1] D.
[2] R.J.Stoler,
Glauber, Phys.
Phys. Rev.Rev. 131 (1963)
1D (1970) 3217.2766.
[3] E.Y.C. Lu, Lett. Nuovo Cimento 2 (1971) 1241.
Therefore, the states (9) concern the problem of the [4] l.A. Malkin, VI. Man’ko and D.A. Trifonov, J. Math.
damped quantum oscillator [7,151. Phys. 14 (1973) 576.
The states (9) have the most clear form in Wigner’s [51 H.P. Yuen, Phys. Rev. A13 (1976) 2226.
representation: [6] V. Canivell and P. Seglar, Phys. Rev. D15 (1977) 1050.
[7] A.D. Jannussis, G.N. Brodimas and L.C. Papaloucas, Phys.
~ p) Lett. 71A (1979) 301.
[81 E. Schrodinger, Sitzungsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss.
(Berlin, 1930) p. 296
—~—
277 J
f d~(q + ~ ~Ia, r, 77Xa, r, ~ — ~ ~)e~ [9] H.P. Robertson, Phys. Rev. 35 (1930) 667A; 46(1934)
794.
(15) [10] W. Band and J.L. Park, Found. Phys. 1(1970)133.
= ~~exp[_2772f2 — q + 2r [11] D. Stoler and S. Newman, Phys. Lett. 38A (1972) 433.
[12] R. Jackiw, J. Math. Phys. 9 (1968) 339.
2n2(l — r2) (1 — r2)h/2 [13] E.H. Kennard, Z. Phys. 44 (1927) 326.
[14] E.H. Kerner, Can. J. Phys. 36 (1958) 371.
where ,i~p — (‘b), c~ q — (ci). This is the classical nor- [15] V.V.
550. Dodonov and V.1. Man’ko, Phys. Rev. A20 (1979)

152