The notion coexistence of quantum observables was introduced to describe the possibility of measuring two or more observables together. Here we survey the various different formalisations of this notion and their connections. We review examples illustrating the necessary degrees of unsharpness for two noncommuting observables to be jointly measurable (in one sense of the phrase). We demonstrate the possibility of measuring together (in another sense of the phrase) noncoexistent observables. This leads us to a reconsideration of the connection between joint measurability and noncommutativity of observables and of the statistical and individual aspects of quantum measurements.
This talk is a survey of the question of joint measurability of coexistent observables and its is based on the monograph Operational Quantum Physics [1] and on the papers [2,3,4].
We prove that, when linearized, the governing equations of an incompressible elastic continuum yield Maxwells equations as corollaries. Through judicious distinction between the referential and local descriptions, the principle of material invariance is established and shown to be a true covariance principle, unlike the Lorentz covariance, which is valid only for non-deforming frames in rectilinear relative motion. Thus, this paper establishes that electrodynamics can be fully explained if one assumes that it is the manifestation of the internal forces of an underlying elastic material which we term the metacontinuum. The new frame-indifferent formulation of electrodynamics is shown to incorporate the Lorentz force as an integral part of Faradays law, rather than as an additional empirical variable. Respectively, if the upper-convected derivative is added in Maxwells displacement current it can explain Biot-Savarts and Oersted-Amperes laws. An immediate corollary of the material invariance is the Galilean invariance of the model. The possible detection of the absolute continuum is also discussed. First, the famous experiment of Ives and Stilwell is reexamined with a modified Bohr-Rydberg formula for the emitted frequencies from a moving atom, and it is shown that the results are fully compatible with the presence of an absolute medium. Second, a new interferometry experiment is proposed in which the first-order Doppler effect can be measured, and thus the presence of a medium at rest can be unequivocally established.
Heat and work are fundamental concepts for thermodynamical systems. When these are scaled down to the quantum level they require appropriate embeddings. Here we show that the dependence of the particle spectrum on system size giving rise to a formal definition of pressure can, indeed, be correlated with an external mechanical degree of freedom, modelled as a spatial coordinate of a quantum oscillator. Under specific conditions this correlation is reminiscent of that occurring in the classical manometer.
The quantum Liouville equation, which describes the phase space dynamics of a quantum system of fermions, is analyzed from statistical point of view as a particular example of the Kramers-Moyal expansion. Quantum mechanics is extended to the relativistic domain by generalizing the Wigner-Moyal equation. Thus, an expression is derived for the relativistic mass in the Wigner quantum phase space presentation. The diffusion with an imaginary diffusion coefficient is also discussed. An imaginary stochastic process is proposed as the origin of quantum mechanics.
Aspects of quantum mechanics on a ring are studied. Either one or two impenetrable barriers are inserted at nodal and non-nodal points to turn the ring into either one or two infinite square wells. In the process, the wave function of a particle can change its energy, as it gets entangled with the barriers and the insertion points become nodes. Two seemingly innocuous assumptions representing locality and linearity are investigated. Namely, a barrier insertion at a fixed node needs no energy, and barrier insertions can be described by linear maps. It will be shown that the two assumptions are incompatible.