A Why does the description of a composite system involve a tensor product?

  • A
  • Thread starter Thread starter prabin
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Product Tensor
prabin
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Can anyone answer me that why the description of composite system involve tensor product ? Is there any way to realize this intuitively ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The tensor product is not only used for composite systems, even for a single particle moving in space the 3d base kets are built as a product of 1d kets

$$\left|x,y,z\right\rangle =\left|x\right\rangle \otimes\left|y\right\rangle \otimes\left|z\right\rangle $$

As I see it, the tensor product is an abstract formalization of the following fact: Let ##\psi(x_{1,}x_{2})## be a two-particle wave function and ##{\phi_{n}(x)}## an orthogonal basis of functions for the one particle Hilbert space ##L^{2}## (say, the Hermite polynomials). Then you can write ##\psi(x_{1,}x_{2})## as a linear combination of functions of the form ##\phi_{n}(x_{1})\phi_{m}(x_{2})##. If we write this using an abstract vector, we are basically defining a tensor product.
 
  • Like
Likes PeroK and vanhees71
The tensor product is the mathematical respresentation of two independent spaces, two independent unit vectors/kets or two independent tensors to be viewed as one. The context is linearity, and the tensor product preserves the linearity of both factors in such a way that the restriction to one of both (via the trace over the other) returns the original vector/ket/space/tensor.
 
Last edited:
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
If we release an electron around a positively charged sphere, the initial state of electron is a linear combination of Hydrogen-like states. According to quantum mechanics, evolution of time would not change this initial state because the potential is time independent. However, classically we expect the electron to collide with the sphere. So, it seems that the quantum and classics predict different behaviours!

Similar threads

Back
Top