Space fractional Wigner equation and its semiclassical limit

Abstract

Manifestations of space fractional quantum mechanics (SFQM), as it was formulated by Laskin [Phys. Rev. E 62, 3135 (2000)], are deemed to offer a better physical interpretation of Lévy flight statistics on a quantum mechanical level. We start with the SFQM Schrödinger equation characterized by a Lévy flight index α∈ (1,2), perform a Wigner transform, and draw the limit h/Eτ → 0 (i.e., let the observed energy scale E go to infinity in comparison to the quantization given by h/τ). In order to obtain classical transport equations two possible substitutions for the terms |p|(α) and |p'|α which appear in von Neumann's equation are presented. It is demonstrated that they conform to the criteria for a successful Wigner transform. Their benefits and caveats are discussed in detail. We find, that, indeed, SFQM manifests itself in an anomalous kinetic term of the free particle's motion and, assuming an external potential diagonal in momentum space for the sake of simplicity, in corresponding anomalous terms in the resulting drift current. All our results reduce to the classical forms in the limit α = 2.