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Joint Wigner distribution for spin-1/2 particles

  • Part III. Invited Papers Dedicated To John Archibald Wheeler
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Abstract

The Wigner distribution has proven to be a useful tool in many quantum problems requiring a joint distribution of position and momentum. In the present paper we develop a joint distribution for spin components within the spirit of the Wigner distribution. This distribution provides an insight into the quantum theory of measurement. We also discuss how one may write joint distributions for two arbitrary noncommuting operators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Certer for Advanced Studies, University of New Mexico, 87131, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Leon Cohen & Marlan O. Scully

  2. Hunter College of the City University, 10021, New York, New York

    Leon Cohen

  3. Max-Planck Institut fur Quantenoptik, D-8046, Garching bei Munchen, West Germany

    Marlan O. Scully

Authors
  1. Leon Cohen
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  2. Marlan O. Scully
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Additional information

It is a pleasure to dedicate this paper to Professor John A. Wheeler—physicist, philosopher, poet—an inspiration to us all.

Work supported by the Office of Naval Research.

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Cohen, L., Scully, M.O. Joint Wigner distribution for spin-1/2 particles. Found Phys 16, 295–310 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01882690

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01882690

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