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Position and momentum outcome laws and the Born density of the massive particle model
Conditional consequences of the adopted observable and probability postulate for the spinless massive-particle model of the kinematics postulate: the position operators are self-adjoint with maximal domains and pure-preparation coordinate laws given by the marginals of |ψ|²; their unique joint position PVM has density |ψ|² for pure preparations and mixture density Σₙwₙ|uₙ|² for a density-operator preparation ρ=ΣₙwₙT_{uₙ,uₙ}; the momentum operators are self-adjoint with Fourier multipliers; |F₂ψ(ξ)|² is the frequency density, and the momentum-coordinate density is its marginal scaled by (2πℏ)⁻¹; exact values of each position and momentum coordinate have probability zero for every preparation although the spectra are all of R. The item is spinless, asserts no joint position-momentum statistics, no dynamics and no empirical result.
Statement
Adopt the observable and probability postulate Observable and probability postulate P2: self-adjoint observables, spectral probability and finite unsharp outcomes (P2) and the kinematics and massive-particle model postulate Kinematics and massive-particle model postulate P5: Newtonian frames and one-particle operators (P5) for a spinless particle of mass and action constant , with state space and position and momentum operators as in Position and momentum operators on Euclidean L2, and assume the Axiom of Countable Choice and the Axiom of Choice (The Axiom of Countable Choice (), The Axiom of Choice). Let be the unitary Plancherel transform with the convention on (Fourier transform on complex L1 classes, Plancherel theorem), and for a unit vector let and be the outcome laws of the assigned observables and in the reading of Assigned sharp observables and the outcome law of the framework. Then, using the numerical SI coordinates of Dimensions, SI unit conventions and quantity types of the framework: and the marginal coordinate are read in metres, in , in , in kilograms and in . The assigned pairs are and ; the factor has momentum units and is dimensionless. Normalized position wave functions have units , their Fourier transforms , and the marginal densities below have the inverse units of their respective outcome coordinates.
(a) Position observable. is self-adjoint with domain , its spectral PVM is given by , and The law is absolutely continuous with respect to one-dimensional Lebesgue measure. Its density is the equivalence class given for almost every by this class is independent of the chosen representative of and is the -th marginal density of . The law is atomless: for every . Moreover .
(b) Joint position law. There is a unique regular projection-valued measure on the Borel -algebra of with for all Borel , and its scalar law in the preparation is the measure of the density : For a density-operator preparation , its joint scalar law is where is a nonnegative density class of total integral , by [F8] and Tonelli. Thus the model's joint position law in a spatial region has density for a pure preparation and for a density-operator preparation.
(c) Momentum observable. is self-adjoint with domain and Fourier representation ; its spectral PVM is with , and The law is absolutely continuous with respect to Lebesgue measure in the momentum variable . Its density is the equivalence class given for almost every by where the class is independent of the chosen representative of . The law is atomless; moreover .
(d) Exact values. For every one has and for every preparation, although both observables have spectrum . This says that each coordinate law is atomless; it does not remove from the law's Borel outcome space. Finite-resolution readings are the Borel bin probabilities of (a)-(c).
(e) Scope. The statement is conditional on P2, on the massive spinless model of P5 and on the cited mathematics. The componentwise extension to the spin- model is not proved here; no joint statistics of a position and a momentum observable, no dynamics and no apparatus or empirical claim are made. The identification of the operators with concrete laboratory position and momentum measurements is a tested identification under P7 and is not asserted by this item.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The adopted postulates P2 and P5 for a spinless particle of mass with state space (Observable and probability postulate P2: self-adjoint observables, spectral probability and finite unsharp outcomes, Kinematics and massive-particle model postulate P5: Newtonian frames and one-particle operators); the Axiom of Countable Choice and the Axiom of Choice (The Axiom of Countable Choice (), The Axiom of Choice); the operators of Position and momentum operators on Euclidean L2; the Plancherel transform of Fourier transform on complex L1 classes and Plancherel theorem; a unit vector ; a density-operator preparation and its finite or countable spectral expansion when it is used; Borel sets ; and the outcome-law reading of Assigned sharp observables and the outcome law of the framework.
Outcome law of an assigned observable. For an assigned observable and a unit vector the law is , where is the spectral PVM of (Assigned sharp observables and the outcome law of the framework clauses (b) and (c), clause (ii)).
The massive-particle model. P5 assigns the state space to a spinless particle of mass and defines on the classes with and on the classes whose componentwise weak derivative lies in (Kinematics and massive-particle model postulate P5: Newtonian frames and one-particle operators clause (iii)).
Self-adjointness and Fourier representation. is self-adjoint with ; is self-adjoint with and almost everywhere (Self-adjointness, Fourier representation and translation identities of position and momentum clauses (a) and (b)).
Multiplication operators. Let be a -finite measure space and measurable and finite -a.e.; then on is self-adjoint with regular spectral PVM , and equal to the essential range of (Spectral measure of a real L2 multiplication operator clauses (a)-(d)).
Unitary transport of a spectral PVM. If is unitary and is a regular PVM, then is a regular PVM with on the transported domain; the spectral PVM of a self-adjoint operator is the unique regular PVM representing it, so a transported regular PVM representing the transported operator is its spectral PVM (Spectral theorem for unbounded self-adjoint operators (PVM form)).
Tonelli, null sets and indefinite integrals. For -finite measure spaces, integrals of product-measurable nonnegative functions may be iterated (Tonelli's theorem for nonnegative measurable functions on a sigma-finite product); for nonnegative measurable the set function is a measure (The indefinite integral of a nonnegative measurable function is a measure); countable subsets of are Lebesgue-null (Every at most countable subset of is Lebesgue null; in particular ); the substitution has positive Jacobian by A C^1 diffeomorphism satisfies the change-of-variables formula for nonnegative Lebesgue measurable functions.
Measure uniqueness on a pi-system. Finite measures on the -algebra generated by a -system that agree on the -system and have equal total mass are equal (Finite measures agreeing on a generating pi-system and on the whole space are equal); the Euclidean Borel -algebra of is generated by the rectangles (The Borel product of R^m and R^n is the Borel sigma-algebra of R^{m+n},).
Density-operator law. Every density-operator preparation has a finite or countable expansion with , and orthonormal; for any PVM its law is (Density operators and scalar spectral probability clauses (a) and (b)).
Regularity on . Every finite Borel measure on the second-countable locally compact Hausdorff space is regular (Locally finite Borel measures on second-countable LCH spaces are regular); a regular PVM is a PVM whose finite scalar measures are regular (Projection valued measure, Regular Borel measure on an LCH space).
Borel representatives and product measures. Under Countable Choice, Lebesgue measure is the completion of its Borel restriction, and completion-measurable real functions have Borel representatives equal almost everywhere ( is exactly the completion of the restriction of to the Borel sets, A function measurable for a completion is almost everywhere equal to one measurable for the original sigma-algebra). Apply this separately to the real and imaginary parts and replace any infinite values on their Borel null sets by zero to obtain finite complex Borel representatives. Product Lebesgue measure agrees with Euclidean Lebesgue measure on Borel sets (On Borel subsets of R^{m+n}, the product lambda_m times lambda_n agrees with lambda_{m+n}), and Borel functions on the split coordinates are product-measurable by [F7]. If a representative is changed on a Lebesgue-null set , enclose in a Borel null set using the completion description; Tonelli [F6] applied to makes almost every section null. Completeness then makes measurable and null for those , so the slice integrals are unchanged almost everywhere.
Proof
[The position observable] Choose finite Borel representatives of all wave functions used below by [F10]; their integrals agree with those of the original Lebesgue classes. On the -finite space the function is real, measurable and finite everywhere, so [F4] applies to ; by [F2] and [F3] the operator is exactly with its displayed domain, hence is self-adjoint with spectral PVM and , the essential range of , equal to (every open interval in the -th coordinate has a slab preimage of positive Lebesgue measure). For a unit vector , [F1] gives . Tonelli [F6] gives a nonnegative measurable slice integral for almost every and for every Borel . If the representative of changes on a Lebesgue-null subset of , the Borel-null envelope and section argument of [F10] shows that the slice function changes only on a null subset of , so it defines a representative-independent class with integral . For the atomless claim, Tonelli gives because is countable hence Lebesgue-null [F6]. This proves clause (a).
[The momentum observable] By [F3] the operator is self-adjoint with the stated domain and Fourier representation. Let be the multiplication operator of [F4] on with multiplier , whose spectral PVM is ; then on by [F3], so by the transport rule [F5] the operator family is a regular PVM representing ; since the spectral PVM is unique among regular PVMs representing a self-adjoint operator, is the spectral PVM of and is the essential range of . For a unit , [F1] and unitarity of give . Substituting and applying Tonelli [F6] gives a nonnegative measurable slice density for almost every , with for every Borel . The section argument of [F10], followed by the positive scaling , shows that changes of representative of change this slice function only on a null set of , so it defines a representative-independent class. For , Tonelli [F6] and the nullity of the singleton give . Thus the momentum coordinate law is atomless. This proves clause (c).
[Exact values for density-operator preparations] Let be the finite or countable expansion of a density-operator preparation from [F8]. For every and , the law formula of [F8] gives because each unit vector has zero singleton probabilities by steps 1.1 and 1.2. Every preparation is either a pure unit ray or a density operator in the state-space assignment The state space of the framework: preparations, pure rays and density operators, so this proves clause (d) for every preparation.
[The joint position law] Define for Borel . Each is an orthogonal projection, , , and . If pairwise disjoint have union , then for every the squared norm of is , which tends to zero by countable additivity of the measure [F6]; hence is a PVM. For each , its scalar measure is , a finite Borel measure of total mass by [F6], and it is regular by [F9] because is second-countable, locally compact and Hausdorff. By the regularity definition in [F9], is a regular PVM. Its rectangle values satisfy by step 1.1. For a unit , the scalar law is . For a density operator , [F8] gives ; Tonelli [F6] identifies this with for , whose integral is . If is another regular PVM with the same values on all rectangles, then for every unit the finite measures and agree on rectangles, which form a -system generating the Borel -algebra of by [F7], and have the common total mass ; [F7] makes them equal on all Borel sets, and polarization recovers equality of the operator values, so . Thus is the unique regular PVM with the displayed rectangle values and the joint position density is for a pure preparation and for a density-operator preparation.
[Exact values for pure preparations] For a pure preparation represented by a unit vector , steps 1.1 and 1.2 give for every . The spectra remain by those same steps; no finite-resolution reading is affected, since the bin probabilities remain those of (a)-(c).
[Conclusion] Steps 1.1 and 1.2 prove (a) and (c), step 2.2 proves (b), and steps 2.3 and 2.1 prove (d). Each is conditional on P2, P5 and the cited mathematical hypotheses; the limits in (e) are exactly those used in the argument.
Depends on
is exactly the completion of the restriction of to the Borel sets
Dimensions, SI unit conventions and quantity types of the framework
A function measurable for a completion is almost everywhere equal to one measurable for the original sigma-algebra
On Borel subsets of R^{m+n}, the product lambda_m times lambda_n agrees with lambda_{m+n}
A C^1 diffeomorphism satisfies the change-of-variables formula for nonnegative Lebesgue measurable functions
Locally finite Borel measures on second-countable LCH spaces are regular
The Axiom of Choice
The Axiom of Countable Choice ()
Fourier transform on complex L1 classes
Position and momentum operators on Euclidean L2
Assigned sharp observables and the outcome law of the framework
The state space of the framework: preparations, pure rays and density operators
Projection valued measure
Regular Borel measure on an LCH space
Finite measures agreeing on a generating pi-system and on the whole space are equal
Density operators and scalar spectral probability
Self-adjointness, Fourier representation and translation identities of position and momentum
Spectral measure of a real L2 multiplication operator
Kinematics and massive-particle model postulate P5: Newtonian frames and one-particle operators
Observable and probability postulate P2: self-adjoint observables, spectral probability and finite unsharp outcomes
Every at most countable subset of is Lebesgue null; in particular
The Borel product of R^m and R^n is the Borel sigma-algebra of R^{m+n}
The indefinite integral of a nonnegative measurable function is a measure
Plancherel theorem
Spectral theorem for unbounded self-adjoint operators (PVM form)
Tonelli's theorem for nonnegative measurable functions on a sigma-finite product
Dependency tree · 2 levels
Sources
- D. Tong, Quantum Mechanics (author-hosted lecture set), Sections 1.1-1.2 and 3.2.1, printed pages 3-14 and 67-70 (the wave function and its probability density; momentum eigenstates, plane waves and the continuous spectrum)
- G. Teschl, Mathematical Methods in Quantum Mechanics, 1st edition 2009, Section 2.2 and Section 3.1, printed pages 58-69 and 88-95 (position and momentum operators, multiplication operators and their spectral measures)
- B. Zwiebach, MIT 8.05 Quantum Physics II (Fall 2013), Chapter 4 "Dirac's Bra and Ket Notation", Section 3, printed pages 11-15 (position and momentum states, their inner products and the interpretation of the wave function)