Quantum fluctuations can enhance or reduce positional uncertainty at finite temperature

Abstract

The uncertainty principle guarantees a non-zero value for the positional uncertainty, $⟨\Delta x^2⟩>0$, even without thermal fluctuations. This implies that quantum fluctuations inherently enhance positional uncertainty at zero temperature. A natural question then arises: what happens at finite temperatures, where the interplay between quantum and thermal fluctuations may give rise to complex and intriguing behaviors? To address this question, we systematically investigate the positional uncertainty, $⟨\Delta x^2⟩$, of a particle in equilibrium confined within a nonlinear potential of the form $V(x)\propto x^n$, where $n=2,4,6,\dots$ represents an even exponent. Using path integral Monte Carlo simulations, we calculate $⟨\Delta x^2⟩$ in equilibrium as a function of the thermal de Broglie wavelength $\Lambda$. Interestingly, for large values of $n$, $⟨\Delta x^2⟩$ exhibits a non-monotonic dependence on $\Lambda$: it initially decreases with increasing $\Lambda$ at small $\Lambda$ but increases at larger $\Lambda$. To further understand this behavior, we employ a semiclassical approximation, which reveals that quantum fluctuations can reduce positional uncertainty for small $\Lambda$ when the nonlinearity of the potential is sufficiently strong. Finally, we discuss the potential implications of this result for many-body phenomena driven by strong nonlinear interactions, such as glass transitions, where the transition densities exhibit a similar non-monotonic dependence on $\Lambda$.

13 pages, 5 figures

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