Transforming quantum states between reference frames

Abstract

In the 1970s, Fulling, Davis, and Unruh have shown that a quantum mechanical state must be described differently in different reference frames; otherwise, quantum mechanics would contain contradictions. We present a simple method for transforming any quantum state between the Minkowski and Rindler reference frames. We show that a Wigner-like distribution, commonly used in quantum optics, is useful for treating this problem. To illustrate our method, we transform the Minkowski vacuum and number states into Rindler space, and transform the Rindler vacuum into Minkowski space, as examples. Our method could be generalized to other cases as well.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jun 08, 2020
Source ID
10.1088/1402-4896/ab8c16

Entities

People

  • J. S. Ben-benjamin
  • M. O. Scully
  • W. G. Unruh

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
  • King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
  • Office of Naval Research
  • Robert A. Welch Foundation

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.

Technology Areas

  • Quantum Computing
  • Space