Abstract
Quantum blobs are the smallest phase space units of phase space compatible with the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics and having the symplectic group as group of symmetries. Quantum blobs are in a bijective correspondence with the squeezed coherent states from standard quantum mechanics, of which they are a phase space picture. This allows us to propose a substitute for phase space in quantum mechanics. We study the relationship between quantum blobs with a certain class of level sets defined by Fermi for the purpose of representing geometrically quantum states.
Highlights
1.1 Basil Hiley and MeIt is an honour and a pleasure to Contribute to Basil Hiley’s Festschrift
Basil patiently explained to me the subtleties of the causal interpretation of quantum mechanics and of the Implicate Order; our conversations were invariably accompanied by a cup of strong
When I explained to him my ideas on the uncertainty principle and introduced him to the “symplectic camel” and “quantum blobs”, he immediately became very enthusiastic and encouraged me to pursue the approach I had initiated in some recent papers
Summary
It is an honour and a pleasure to Contribute to Basil Hiley’s Festschrift. When I met Basil for the first time (it was in the late 90s, during my Swedish exile) I was immediately fascinated by his vision of quantum mechanics and its philosophy, and by the man himself; I was immediately charmed by his utterly unassuming and gentlemanly manners together with his British humour. Basil patiently explained to me the subtleties of the causal interpretation of quantum mechanics and of the Implicate Order; our conversations were invariably accompanied by a cup of strong. Assam tea, his favourite beverage (during daytime, that is; later at night we occasionally replaced the cup of tea by a glass of a beverage known in France as Pastis). When I explained to him my ideas on the uncertainty principle and introduced him to the “symplectic camel” and “quantum blobs”, he immediately became very enthusiastic and encouraged me to pursue the approach I had initiated in some recent papers He was even kind enough to honour me by writing a foreword to my book [6] where I explained some of these ideas. I could do no less than to write this modest contribution to the “Hiley Festschrift” as a tribute to my friend Basil for his Helsinki birthday party!
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