Physics of Atomic Nuclei, Vol. 63, No. 4, 2000, pp. 692–694. From Yadernaya Fizika, Vol. 63, No.

4, 2000, pp. 757–759.

Original English Text Copyright © 2000 by Safonov.

VIII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

ON SYMMETRY METHODS IN PHYSICS

Caldirola–Kanai Oscillator in the Classical Formulation

of Quantum Mechanics*
S. S. Safonov
Moscow Institute for Physics and Technology, Institutskiœ per. 9, Dolgoprudnyœ, Moscow oblast, 141700 Russia

Abstract—The quadrature distribution for a quantum damped oscillator is introduced in the frame of formula-
tion of quantum mechanics based on a tomography scheme. The probability distribution for coherent and Fock
states of the damped oscillator is expressed explicitly in terms of Gaussian and Hermite polynomials, respec-
tively. © 2000 MAIK “Nauka/Interperiodica”.

In classical mechanics, the description of motion The distribution is normalized,

with friction described by the equation of motion has
no ambiguities present in quantum description. Quan-
tum friction in the classical formulation of quantum
∫ w ( X, µ, ν, t ) dX = 1. (3)

mechanics was considered in [1]. The aim of this work As was shown [2, 3], the quantum friction appears in a
is to discuss the problem of friction for a quantum Cald- system with the Hamiltonian (we assume " = m = 1)
irola–Kanai oscillator [2, 3]. 2 2
p̂ q̂
Ĥ ( t ) = ----- exp ( – 2γt ) + ω exp ( 2γt ) ----- ,
2
Moyal [4] obtained the evolution equation for quan- (4)
tum states in the form of the classical stochastic equa- 2 2
tion for a function which turned out to be the Wigner where the friction coefficient γ and the frequency of the
quasidistribution function [5], which cannot be consid- quantum oscillator ω are taken to be constant. For this
ered as a probability since it takes negative values. Man- system, the wave functions of the coherent |α〉 and Fock
cini et al. [6] obtained the evolution equation for the |n〉 states can be written as [10] (we assume ω = 1)
quantum state in the form of the classical stochastic
equation for a function which turned out to be a proba- Ψ α ( q, t )
bility distribution for a position measured in an ensemble
ε̇* 2 α
2γt 2 (5)
= -------------- exp  ------------- q + ----------- q – -----α – -------- ,
of squeezed and rotated reference frames in the classical 1 iε̇e 2 2α
phase space of the system. The idea of this classical-like 4
π ε  2ε ε 2ε 2 
formulation of quantum dynamics uses the notion of
optical tomography suggested by Vogel and Risken [7]. Ψ n ( q, t )
Man’ko [8] obtained the equation for energy levels in the
ε* n/2 1
2γt
(6)
= --------------  ----- --------- exp  ------------- q  H n  ------------- .
frame of the classical-like formulation of quantum 1 iε̇e 2 q
mechanics and rederived the energy spectrum of the 4
π ε  2ε  n!  2ε   εε*
quantum oscillator (see also [9]).
In these formulas, the time-dependent function ε(t) sat-
The distribution w(X, µ, ν, t) for the generic linear isfies the equation
combination of quadratures, which is a measurable
observable, ε̇˙( t ) + 2γ ε̇ ( t ) + ε ( t ) = 0 (7)
X̂ = µq̂ + ν p̂, (1) and the initial conditions
1 iΩ – γ
where q̂ and p̂ are the position and momentum, ε ( 0 ) = --------, ε̇ ( 0 ) = --------------- , (8)
respectively, depending on two extra real parameters µ, Ω Ω
and ν, is related to the state of the quantum system
expressed in terms of its Wigner function W(q, p, t) as where Ω2 = 1 – γ 2. The solution ε(t) has the form
follows [6, 8]: 1 –γt
ε ( t ) = --------e [ cos ( Ωt ) + i sin ( Ωt ) ]. (9)
Ω
w ( X, µ, ν, t ) = ∫ exp [ –ik ( X – µq – νq ) ] The physical meaning of the Fock state of the Cald-
dk dq dp (2)
× W ( q, p, t ) --------------------
-. irola–Kanai oscillator (6) was discussed in [8]. It was
( 2π )
2
shown that this state is a loss-energy state, and the wave
function of this state has the property of periodicity in
* This article was submitted by the author in English. time with a purely imaginary period. Using the known

1063-7788/00/6304-0692$20.00 © 2000 MAIK “Nauka/Interperiodica”

 CALDIROLA–KANAI OSCILLATOR 693

expression for the Wigner function in terms of the wave w1(X, ϕ, t)

function of coherent state (5) (see [6, 8]) and calculat- 0.6
ing the integral (2), we obtain the probability distribu-
tion for the coherent state in the form
0.4
1
w α = ------------------------------------- exp ( – α )
2

πεε*(a + b )
2 2
0.2

ε * 2(a – ib) 2 0
2
× exp  – -----------------------------  ⊗ exp – α2 --------------------------------
X
- - 4
 εε*(α 2 + b 2) 2εε*(α + b )
2 2
2 4
(10) 0 2
2ε* X ( α – ib ) ε (a + ib)
2 2 ϕ 0
–2 X
+ α ------------------------------------- ⊗ exp – α * 2 --------------------------------- –2
εε*(α + b )
2 2
2εε*(α + b )
2 2 –4

Marginal distribution of the excited (loss-energy) state γ =

0.05 and t = 5.
2εX ( α + ib )
+ α* ---------------------------------
- .
εε*(α + b )
2 2

the quantum evolution equation alternative to the time-

dependent Schrödinger equation has the form
Using the wave function (6), we analogously find the
∂ 1 ∂ ν ∂
ẇ – µ ------ w – i V  – ------------ ------ – i --- -------, t
probability distribution for the Fock state,
∂ν  ∂/∂X ∂µ 2 ∂X 
w n ( X, µ, ν, t ) (16)
1 ∂ ν ∂
2  – V  – ------------ ------ + i --- -------, t w = 0.
1
= w 0 ( X, µ, ν, t ) ---------
X
- H n  ---------------------------------- ,
(11)  ∂/∂X ∂µ 2 ∂X 
2 n!  εε*(α + b )
n 2 2
For the damped oscillator, this equation takes the form [1]
∂ 1 ∂ ν ∂
where the probability distribution of the oscillator ẇ – µ ------ w – i Ṽ  – ------------ ------ – i --- -------, t'
∂ν  ∂/∂X ∂µ 2 ∂X 
groundlike state is (17)
1 ∂ ν ∂
w 0 ( X, µ, ν, t ) – Ṽ  – ------------ ------ + i --- -------, t' w = 0,
 ∂/∂X ∂µ 2 ∂X 
1  X
2
 (12) where
= -------------------------------------- exp  – -----------------------------
- ,
 εε*(α + b )
2 2
πεε*(α + b )
2 2
Ṽ ( q, t' ) = exp [ 2γt ( t' ) ]V [ q, t ( t' ) ]
q
2 (18)
where = exp [ 4γt ( t' ) ] ----- ,
2
exp ( 2γt )ν ( ε*ε̇ + εε̇* ) ν
a = ------------------------------------------------------- + µ, b = --------. (13) 1 – exp ( – 2γt ) ln ( 1 – 2γ t' )
2εε* εε* t' ( t ) = ---------------------------------- , t ( t' ) = – ----------------------------. (19)
2γ 2γ
Here, ε(t) is given by equation (9). In the figure, we We have
show the probability distribution for the first excited
state (loss-energy state) w1(X, ϕ, t) as a function of the ∂t ( t' )
------------- = exp ( 2γt ). (20)
rotation angle ϕ (abscissa) and homodyne output vari- ∂t'
able X (ordinate) [7]
In (16) and (17), overdots label partial derivatives with
respect to t'. Using the relation (18), one can rewrite
X̂ ( ϕ ) = q̂ cos ϕ – p̂ sin ϕ. (14) (17) as
In the figure, we assume t = 5 and γ = 0.05. ∂ ∂ ∂
------ w – µ ------ w + exp ( 4γt )ν ------w = 0. (21)
∂t' ∂ν ∂µ
It was shown in [6] that, for the system with Hamil-
tonian One can check that the probability distributions wα (10)
and wn (11) satisfy this equation.
2 Let us consider the invariants of the damped quan-
p̂
Ĥ ( t ) = ----- + V̂ ( q, t ), (15) † †
2 tum oscillator â â (t) and ( â â )*(t) in the classical for-

PHYSICS OF ATOMIC NUCLEI Vol. 63 No. 4 2000

694 SAFONOV

mulation of quantum mechanics. Here, the asterisk εε* ∂ ∂

– e ( ε*ε̇ + εε̇* )µν ] – i --------  µ ------ + ------ µ
2γt
means the complex conjugate operator. The operator (25)
2  ∂ν ∂ν 
† †
â â (t) acts on the variable q, and the operator ( â â )*(t) 2γt 2γt
acts on the variable q' of the density matrix ρn(q, q', t); ε * ε˙ e ∂ ε˙ * ε e ∂ ε˙ ε˙ * ∂ ∂
– ----------------- ν ------ – ----------------- ------ ν + i --------  ν ------ + ------ ν
these describe the Fock state |n〉 of the system. These 2 ∂ν 2 ∂ν 2  ∂µ ∂µ 
invariants act on the distribution wn of the Fock state
2γt 2γt
(11) as ε˙ * ε e ∂ ε * ε˙ e ∂ 
µ - ------ µ .
2 ∂µ 
– ----------------
- -----
- – ----------------
â â ( t )w n ( X, µ, ν, t ) = nw n ( X, µ, ν, t ),
†
(22) 2 ∂µ
To obtain this form of the operators under discussion,
( â â )* ( t )w n ( X, µ, ν, t ) = nw n ( X, µ, ν, t ).
†
(23) we used the correspondence of the action of the opera-
† † tors on the Wigner function W(q, p, t) and the probabil-
Invariants â â (t) and ( â â )*(t) have the form ity distribution w(X, µ, ν, t) [8].
The main result of this work is the introduction of
1  ∂ –2 ∂ 2 4γt ∂
2
â â ( t ) = ---   ------- εε*  ------ + ε̇ε̇*e  ------
† the positive normalized distribution function (probabil-
2   ∂X  ∂ν  ∂µ ity distribution) for describing the quantum states of the
damped quantum oscillator. This distribution contains
∂ ∂ 2
2
complete information about the state of the system. For
– e (ε*ε̇ + εε̇*) ------------- –  ------- [ εε*µ + ε̇ε̇*e ν
2γt 2 4γt 2
∂µ∂ν  ∂X the probability distribution of the damped oscillator,
the quantum evolution equation is found, which is an
εε* ∂ ∂ alternative to the Schrödinger equation.
+ e ( ε*ε̇ + εε̇* )µν ] + i --------  µ ------ + ------ µ
2γt
(24)
2  ∂ν ∂ν 
REFERENCES
ε̇*εe ∂ ε*ε̇e ∂ ε̇ε̇* ∂ ∂
2γt 2γt
+ ----------------- ν ------ + ----------------- ------ ν – i --------  ν ------ + ------ν 1. V. I. Man’ko and S. S. Safonov, Teor. Mat. Fiz. 112, 467
2 ∂ν 2 ∂ν 2  ∂µ ∂µ  (1997).
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ε*ε̇e
2γt
∂ ε̇*εe ∂
2γt

+ ----------------- µ ------ + ----------------- ------µ  3. E. Kanai, Prog. Theor. Phys. 3, 440 (1948).
2 ∂µ 2 ∂µ  4. J. E. Moyal, Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 45, 99 (1949).
and 5. E. Wigner, Phys. Rev. 40, 749 (1932).
6. S. Mancini, V. I. Man’ko, and P. Tombesi, Phys. Lett. A
1  ∂ –2 ∂ 2 4γt ∂
2 213, 1 (1996); Found. Phys. (in press).
( â â )* ( t ) = ---   ------- εε*  ------ + ε̇ε̇*e  ------
†
2   ∂X  ∂ν  ∂µ 7. K. Vogel and H. Risken, Phys. Rev. A 40, 2847 (1989).
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∂ ∂ 2
2
+ e (ε*ε̇ + εε̇*) ------------- –  ------- [ εε*µ + ε̇ε̇*e ν
2γt 2 4γt 2
10. V. V. Dodonov and V. I. Man’ko, Phys. Rev. A 20, 550
∂µ∂ν  ∂X (1979).

PHYSICS OF ATOMIC NUCLEI Vol. 63 No. 4 2000