Do you have any interest in Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics?

In summary, the conversation discusses an interest in Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics and its proponents, including Stephen L. Adler and Arbab I. Arbab. The use of quaternions in place of complex numbers is debated and there is a request for a PDF of Adler's book. The conversation also mentions the possibility of using quaternions for faster numerical methods in multi-qubit simulations. Finally, there is a discussion about the cost of the book and a recommendation to read Roger Penrose's "Road to Reality." The abbreviation "CW" is explained to stand for Charles Wilson.
  • #1
lee.spi
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Do you have any interest in Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics?
As far as i know, there are some people have interest in research a new formulation of quantum mechanics using quaternionic, rather than complex, numbers.''Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Fields'',by Stephen L. Adler ,who has been working on quaternionic quantum mechanics for the last fourteen years. The author clearly explicates the relations between quaternionic, complex and real quantum mechanics.And there are is a paper "The Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics" by Arbab I. Arbab (arXiv:1003.0075), but i personally think it is totally wrong,because he think of the quaternion as vector,but it's not so.
Do you know any other Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics? If you know,please show it to me.
By the way,who can tell me, where is the website can download the PDF document of “Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Fields" ,or if you have this document,please send to me {e-mail address removed} thanks
 
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  • #2
This guy?
http://www.sns.ias.edu/~adler/
For his book you can always write and ask him? AFAIK: the book is still under copyright so a free download of the book would be illegal in most jurisditions.
http://books.google.co.nz/books/abo...cs_and_quant.html?id=WYYemAEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

You are right - the quaternion is not a vector ... and it is not clear that it is an improvement on, say, matrix mechanics. Certainly if the aim is to avoid complex numbers in QM, it is a failure as it implicitly adds two extra independent complex variables to QM's one. OTOH the author seems to think it's worthwhile and he's been doing it longer than me.

There are computational advantages to using quaternions in place of matrixes - especially for rotations - so they get used a lot in video games.
 
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  • #3
It's possible to represent any qubit observable as a quaternion and any pure qubit state as a unit quaternion. Single-qubit QM can be written entirely in terms of quaternions without reference to state vectors, density matrices, or operators.

I discovered this by accident working on my thesis, and I'm certainly not the first to notice. Qubit states and unitary transformations can be represented as points and rotations on the Bloch sphere, and quaternions can be used to represent 3D rotations.

IMO, the unsolved question is whether there is any benefit to using quaternions instead of some other formalism. As Simon Bridge said, they do sometimes lead to very fast numerical methods. I have a hunch that multi-qubit simulations can be sped up by using hypercomplex numbers, but I ran out of time and money before I could come up with anything clear or useful on that topic.
 
  • #4
Simon Bridge said:
This guy?
http://www.sns.ias.edu/~adler/
For his book you can always write and ask him? OTOH the author seems to think it's worthwhile and he's been doing it longer than me.
Are you an expert with quaternionic quantum mechanics ?
and Stephen L. Adler ,is he a friend of yours?
 
  • #5
I do not know Steve personally, no.
I like to take "expert" in two parts - the ex - which is a "used to be" and a "spurt" which is a drip working under pressure :D do not mistake me for any kind of authority.
 
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  • #6
Simon Bridge said:
I do not know Steve personally, no.
I like to take "expert" in two parts - the ex - which is a "used to be" and a "spurt" which is a drip working under pressure :D do not mistake me for any kind of authority.

sorry,my English is poor,nevermind
 
  • #7
Sorry - that last sentence would be confusing to someone unfamiliar with English idiom.
It's a pun inside another pun - if you google "drip under pressure" you will get a load of examples.
 
  • #8
Simon Bridge said:
Sorry - that last sentence would be confusing to someone unfamiliar with English idiom.
It's a pun inside another pun - if you google "drip under pressure" you will get a load of examples.

understand,thanks
 
  • #9
lee.spi said:
By the way,who can tell me, where is the website can download the PDF document of “Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Fields" ,or if you have this document,please send to me {e-mail address removed} thanks
You can get a copy here, and they will even gift wrap it for you. :wink:

Also, portions of it are available on Google Books.
 
  • #10
Bill_K said:
You can get a copy here, and they will even gift wrap it for you. :wink:

Also, portions of it are available on Google Books.

this book is too expensive for me:cry:
 
  • #11
Charles Wilson said:
If you read Penrose's Road to Reality in an afternoon

sorry,i can't find it,Road to Reality
 
  • #12
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679776311/?tag=pfamazon01-20

CW

PS: Read the reviews, especially the PhD'er. The statement about reading RtR in an afternoon was a throwaway line, a joke. Penrose couldn't read HIS book in an afternoon. So look at Moxness for what you can get.
 
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  • #13
Charles Wilson said:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679776311/?tag=pfamazon01-20

CW

PS: Read the reviews, especially the PhD'er. The statement about reading RtR in an afternoon was a throwaway line, a joke. Penrose couldn't read HIS book in an afternoon. So look at Moxness for what you can get.

ok,thanks
 
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  • #14
Charles Wilson said:
CW

by the way,what’s the meaning of “CW”? my English is poor,nevermind:biggrin:
 
  • #15
lee.spi said:
by the way,what’s the meaning of “CW”? my English is poor,nevermind:biggrin:

No, my English is poor!
"CW" => Me! Charles Wilson
 
  • #16
Charles Wilson said:
No, my English is poor!
"CW" => Me! Charles Wilson

understand,thanks:biggrin:
 

FAQ: Do you have any interest in Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics?

1. What is Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics?

Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics is a theoretical framework that attempts to extend the principles of quantum mechanics to systems with quaternionic degrees of freedom. Quaternions are a type of mathematical object that extend the complex numbers and are used to describe certain physical phenomena, such as the behavior of spin in quantum systems.

2. How does Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics differ from traditional Quantum Mechanics?

Traditional Quantum Mechanics uses complex numbers to describe the state of a system and its evolution over time. In Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics, quaternions are used instead, which allows for the description of systems with more degrees of freedom. This can potentially provide a more accurate description of certain physical phenomena.

3. What are the potential applications of Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics?

Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics is a relatively new area of research, and its potential applications are still being explored. Some potential applications include better understanding of systems with multiple degrees of freedom, improved simulations of quantum systems, and potential advancements in quantum computing.

4. Are there any experimental results that support the validity of Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics?

There have been some experimental results that suggest the validity of Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics, particularly in the study of spin systems. However, more research and experimentation is needed to fully validate this theoretical framework.

5. How does Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics relate to other theories, such as String Theory?

Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics is a separate theoretical framework from String Theory, which attempts to unify the principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity. However, some researchers have proposed that quaternions could play a role in describing the behavior of strings in String Theory. Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between these two theories.

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