How many bits specify a quantum state?
Quantum Physics
2016-09-14 v2 Statistical Mechanics
Abstract
Quantum mechanics suggests that nature is discrete, with one state per phase space volume . This appears to contradict the idea that the state of an N-particle system can have infinite precision and is described by a set of exponentially many complex numbers. Using a finite-temperature gas confined in a box as an example, this short paper argues that there are indeed limits to the precision of wave functions, and that this may help at understanding the quantum-to-classical transition.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1609.02587,
title = {How many bits specify a quantum state?},
author = {Barbara Drossel},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1609.02587},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
Short, easy-to-read paper; abstract rewritten; one reference added