Polymer quantum mechanics and its continuum limit
- Instituto de Matematicas, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, UNAM-Campus Morelia, A. Postal 61-3, Morelia, Michoacan 58090 (Mexico)
- Facultad de Ingenieria Civil, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacan 58000 (Mexico)
A rather nonstandard quantum representation of the canonical commutation relations of quantum mechanics systems, known as the polymer representation, has gained some attention in recent years, due to its possible relation with Planck scale physics. In particular, this approach has been followed in a symmetric sector of loop quantum gravity known as loop quantum cosmology. Here we explore different aspects of the relation between the ordinary Schroedinger theory and the polymer description. The paper has two parts. In the first one, we derive the polymer quantum mechanics starting from the ordinary Schroedinger theory and show that the polymer description arises as an appropriate limit. In the second part we consider the continuum limit of this theory, namely, the reverse process in which one starts from the discrete theory and tries to recover back the ordinary Schroedinger quantum mechanics. We consider several examples of interest, including the harmonic oscillator, the free particle, and a simple cosmological model.
- OSTI ID:
- 21027611
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 76, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.76.044016; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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