Entropy for Quantum Pure States and Its Dynamical Relaxation

Abstract

We construct a complete set of Wannier functions which are localized at both given positions and momenta. This allows us to introduce the quantum phase space, onto which a quantum pure state can be mapped unitarily. Using its probability distribution in quantum phase space, we define an entropy for a quantum pure state. We prove an inequality regarding the long time behavior of our entropy's fluctuation. For a typical initial state, this inequality indicates that our entropy can relax dynamically to a maximized value and stay there most of time with small fluctuations. This result echoes the quantum H-theorem proved by von Neumann in [Zeitschrift für Physik {\bf 57}, 30 (1929)]. Our entropy is different from the standard von Neumann entropy, which is always zero for quantum pure states. According to our definition, a system always has bigger entropy than its subsystem even when the system is described by a pure state. As the construction of the Wannier basis can be implemented numerically, the dynamical evolution of our entropy is illustrated with an example.

13 pages, 2 figures

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Generalized Wigner-von Neumann entropy and its typicality
• Definitions and Evolutions of Statistical Entropy for Hamiltonian Systems
• Asymmetric temperature equilibration with heat flow from cold to hot in a quantum thermodynamic system
• Logarithmic quantum time crystal