Abstract
It is shown that time and entropy operators may exist as superoperators in the framework of the Liouville space provided that the Hamiltonian has an unbounded absolutely continuous spectrum. In this case the Liouville operator has uniform infinite multiplicity and thus the time operator may exist. A general proof of the Heisenberg uncertainty relation between time and energy is derived from the existence of this time operator.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
MisraB., PrigonineI., and CourbageM., ‘Lyapounov Variable, Entropy and Measurement in Quantum Mechanics’,Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 4768–4772 (1979).
Misra, B.,Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 1627–1631.
NaimarkM.A.,Normed Rings, P. Noordhoff, Groningen, 1964.
ReedM. and SimonB.,Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics I, Academic Press, New York, 1972.
Jammer, M.,The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics, Wiley, 1974.
Spohn, H.,J. Math. Phys. 17 (1976), cf. Fig. 1, p. 59.
AllcockG.R.,Ann. Phys. (N.Y.) 53, 253–348 (1969).
MisraB. and SudarshanE.C.G.,J. Math. Phys. 18, 756–763 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Courbage, M. On necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of time and entropy operators in quantum mechanics. Lett Math Phys 4, 425–432 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00943427
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00943427