
The manifold of pure quantum states is a complex projective space endowed with the unitary-invariant geometry of Fubini and Study. According to the principles of geometric quantum mechanics, the detailed physical characteristics of a given quantum system can be represented by specific geometrical features that are selected and preferentially identified in this complex manifold. Here we construct a number of examples of such geometrical features as they arise in the state spaces for spin-1/2, spin-1, and spin-3/2 systems, and for pairs of spin-1/2 systems. A study is undertaken on the geometry of entangled states, and a natural measure is assigned to the degree of entanglement of a given state for a general multi-particle system. The properties of this measure are analysed for the entangled states of a pair of spin-1/2 particles. With the specification of a quantum Hamiltonian, the resulting Schrodinger trajectory induces a Killing field, which is quasiergodic on a toroidal subspace of the energy surface. When the dynamical trajectory is lifted orthogonally to Hilbert space, it induces a geometric phase shift on the wave function. The uncertainty of an observable in a given state is the length of the gradient vector of the level surface of the expectation of the observable in that state, a fact that allows us to calculate higher order corrections to the Heisenberg relations. A general mixed state is determined by a probability density function on the state space, for which the associated first moment is the density matrix. The advantage of a general state is in its applicability in various attempts to go beyond the standard quantum theory.
27 pages. Extended with additional material
Quantum Physics, Quantum information and uncertainty, Quantum measurement and entanglement, 500, FOS: Physical sciences, Quantum phase space, Phase-space methods including Wigner distributions, etc. applied to problems in quantum mechanics, Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations, Kibble-Weinberg theory, 530, Projective techniques in algebraic geometry, General mathematical topics and methods in quantum theory, Generalised quantum mechanics, Quantum Physics (quant-ph), Applications of global differential geometry to the sciences
Quantum Physics, Quantum information and uncertainty, Quantum measurement and entanglement, 500, FOS: Physical sciences, Quantum phase space, Phase-space methods including Wigner distributions, etc. applied to problems in quantum mechanics, Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations, Kibble-Weinberg theory, 530, Projective techniques in algebraic geometry, General mathematical topics and methods in quantum theory, Generalised quantum mechanics, Quantum Physics (quant-ph), Applications of global differential geometry to the sciences
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