Energy Quantisation and Time Parameterisation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that in a compact space, quantum Hamilton--Jacobi trajectories cannot be defined, linking energy quantization, space topology, and the Copenhagen interpretation without relying on standard axioms.

Contribution

It establishes a geometric principle connecting quantum HJ equation, space compactness, and the foundations of quantum mechanics, challenging traditional trajectory-based interpretations.

Findings

Trajectories are ill-defined in compact spaces under quantum HJ.

Energy spectra are discrete unless space is non-compact.

Dirac and von Neumann formulations coincide on compact spaces.

Abstract

We show that if space is compact, then trajectories cannot be defined in the framework of quantum Hamilton--Jacobi equation. The starting point is the simple observation that when the energy is quantized it is not possible to make variations with respect to the energy, and the time parameterisation t-t_0=\partial_E S_0, implied by Jacobi's theorem and that leads to group velocity, is ill defined. It should be stressed that this follows directly form the quantum HJ equation without any axiomatic assumption concerning the standard formulation of quantum mechanics. This provides a stringent connection between the quantum HJ equation and the Copenhagen interpretation. Together with tunneling and the energy quantization theorem for confining potentials, formulated in the framework of quantum HJ equation, it leads to the main features of the axioms of quantum mechanics from a unique geometrical principle. Similarly to the case of the classical HJ equation, this fixes its quantum analog by requiring that there exist point transformations, rather than canonical ones, leading to the trivial hamiltonian. This is equivalent to a basic cocycle condition on the states. Such a cocycle condition can be implemented on compact spaces, so that continuous energy spectra are allowed only as a limiting case. Remarkably, a compact space would also imply that the Dirac and von Neumann formulations of quantum mechanics essentially coincide. We suggest that there is a definition of time parameterisation leading to trajectories in the context of the quantum HJ equation having the probabilistic interpretation of the Copenhagen School.