Chaos in Bohmian Quantum Mechanics: A Short Review
2020, Volume 25, Number 5, pp. 476-495
Author(s): Contopoulos G., Tzemos A. C.
Author(s): Contopoulos G., Tzemos A. C.
This is a short review of the theory of chaos in Bohmian quantum mechanics
based on our series of works in this field. Our first result is the development of a generic
theoretical mechanism responsible for the generation of chaos in an arbitrary Bohmian system
(in 2 and 3 dimensions). This mechanism allows us to explore the effect of chaos on Bohmian
trajectories and study in detail (both analytically and numerically) the different kinds of
Bohmian trajectories where, in general, chaos and order coexist. Finally, we explore the effect
of quantum entanglement on the evolution of the Bohmian trajectories and study chaos and
ergodicity in qubit systems which are of great theoretical and practical interest. We find that
the chaotic trajectories are also ergodic, i. e., they give the same final distribution of their points
after a long time regardless of their initial conditions. In the case of strong entanglement most
trajectories are chaotic and ergodic and an arbitrary initial distribution of particles will tend
to Born’s rule over the course of time. On the other hand, in the case of weak entanglement the
distribution of Born’s rule is dominated by ordered trajectories and consequently an arbitrary
initial configuration of particles will not tend, in general, to Born’s rule unless it is initially
satisfied. Our results shed light on a fundamental problem in Bohmian mechanics, namely,
whether there is a dynamical approximation of Born’s rule by an arbitrary initial distribution
of Bohmian particles.
Access to the full text on the Springer website |