Directly computing Wigner functions for open quantum systems
Abstract
The Wigner function is a well-known phase space distribution function with many applications in quantum mechanics. In this article, we consider an open quantum system consisting of a non-relativistic single particle interacting with a general, possibly relativistic environment. For this system, we derive an expression for directly computing the time-dependent Wigner function from its initial values. This result renders time-dependent Wigner functions more applicable without having to make additional approximations that would otherwise be required in order to solve the corresponding equation of motion. As an illustration of our findings, we discuss the example of a non-relativistic single scalar particle interacting via a Yukawa interaction with an environment comprising another type of scalar field that is treated relativistically.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2512.01590,
title = {Directly computing Wigner functions for open quantum systems},
author = {Nick Huggett and Christian Käding and Mario Pitschmann and James Read},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.01590},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
17 pages, 4 figures