Action Variable Quantization, Energy Quantization, and Time Parametrization

TL;DR

This paper explores the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of quantum mechanics, revealing how additional microstate information, quantization of action variables, and energy lead to new insights into quantum trajectories and time parametrization.

Contribution

It introduces a Hamilton-Jacobi approach that incorporates microstate details, links action and energy quantization, and derives quantum trajectories consistent with standard energy quantization.

Findings

Lipschitz continuity of quantum reduced action established

Eigenvalues J and E mutually imply each other

Quantum trajectories develop standard energy quantization formulas

Abstract

The additional information within a Hamilton-Jacobi representation of quantum mechanics is extra, in general, to the Schr\"odinger representation. This additional information specifies the microstate of $\psi$ that is incorporated into the quantum reduced action, $W$. Non-physical solutions of the quantum stationary Hamilton-Jacobi equation for energies that are not Hamiltonian eigenvalues are examined to establish Lipschitz continuity of the quantum reduced action and conjugate momentum. Milne quantization renders the eigenvalue $J$. Eigenvalues $J$ and $E$ mutually imply each other. Jacobi's theorem generates a microstate-dependent time parametrization $t-\tau=\partial_E W$ even where energy, $E$, and action variable, $J$, are quantized eigenvalues. Substantiating examples are examined in a Hamilton-Jacobi representation including the linear harmonic oscillator numerically and the square well in closed form. Two byproducts are developed. First, the monotonic behavior of $W$ is shown to ease numerical and analytic computations. Second, a Hamilton-Jacobi representation, quantum trajectories, is shown to develop the standard energy quantization formulas of wave mechanics..