Coherent states in minimal-length Quantum Mechanics: inequivalent characterizations and emergent squeezing
Pith reviewed 2026-07-03 20:01 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Minimal length makes the three standard definitions of coherent states inequivalent.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The canonical equivalence among their standard characterizations - as eigenstates of the annihilation operator, displaced vacuum states and minimum-uncertainty wave packets - is generically lost in the presence of a minimal length. Minimal-length effects induce nontrivial deformations of phase-space trajectories and give rise to an intrinsic squeezing mechanism with no counterpart in ordinary quantum mechanics.
What carries the argument
The deformation of the Heisenberg algebra via the Generalized Uncertainty Principle, which renders the three usual coherent-state constructions inequivalent and generates emergent squeezing.
If this is right
- Generalized coherent states evolve differently from states that saturate the GUP uncertainty relation.
- Phase-space trajectories acquire nontrivial deformations induced by the minimal length.
- An intrinsic squeezing mechanism appears during time evolution with no classical or standard-quantum counterpart.
- The inequivalence supplies a unified framework for coherence in any GUP-based theory.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- Precision spectroscopy or interferometry on trapped oscillators could search for the predicted squeezing as a low-energy probe of minimal length.
- The same loss of equivalence may occur for coherent states of other deformed algebras beyond the harmonic oscillator.
- Semiclassical limits of GUP theories would then require separate treatment of each former coherent-state class.
Load-bearing premise
The specific algebraic deformation chosen for the Generalized Uncertainty Principle correctly captures minimal-length effects from quantum gravity.
What would settle it
An experiment on a harmonic oscillator in which the three coherent-state characterizations remain equivalent or in which no extra squeezing appears beyond ordinary quantum mechanics.
Figures
read the original abstract
Several approaches to quantum gravity suggest the emergence of a fundamental minimal length at the Planck scale. In quantum mechanics, this feature is naturally encoded through deformations of the Heisenberg algebra, leading to the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP). While the phenomenological implications of GUP have been extensively explored, a consistent characterization of coherent states in minimal-length quantum mechanics remains elusive. In this work, we present a systematic analysis of coherent states for the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator. We show that the canonical equivalence among their standard characterizations - as eigenstates of the annihilation operator, displaced vacuum states and minimum-uncertainty wave packets - is generically lost in the presence of a minimal length. We then investigate the dynamical and semiclassical consequences of this inequivalence by comparing the evolution of generalized coherent states with that of states saturating the GUP. In particular, we demonstrate that minimal-length effects induce nontrivial deformations of phase-space trajectories and give rise to an intrinsic squeezing mechanism with no counterpart in ordinary quantum mechanics. These results establish a unified framework for coherence in GUP-based quantum theories and identify distinctive semiclassical signatures of minimal-length physics, opening a new avenue for probing quantum-gravitational effects.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper analyzes coherent states for the 1D harmonic oscillator in minimal-length quantum mechanics using the quadratic GUP deformation of the Heisenberg algebra, [x,p]=iħ(1+βp²). It shows that the usual equivalences among annihilation-operator eigenstates, displaced vacua, and minimum-uncertainty states are lost, leading to deformed phase-space trajectories and an intrinsic squeezing effect absent in standard QM. The work compares the dynamics of these generalized coherent states to GUP-saturating states and frames the results as a unified framework with semiclassical signatures of minimal length.
Significance. If the inequivalence and squeezing hold under the stated algebra, the results supply concrete, falsifiable distinctions between ordinary and minimal-length coherent-state dynamics that could be tested in analog systems or precision measurements. The explicit comparison of multiple state characterizations and the identification of an emergent squeezing mechanism without external driving constitute the main technical contribution.
major comments (2)
- [Abstract, §1] Abstract and §1: The assertion that the loss of equivalence among coherent-state characterizations 'is generically lost in the presence of a minimal length' is not supported by the manuscript. All derivations and numerical comparisons are performed exclusively for the quadratic commutator [x,p]=iħ(1+βp²); no analysis or counter-example is given for other minimal-length deformations (e.g., exponential or higher-order forms) that are also motivated by quantum-gravity approaches. Because the central claim is framed as generic rather than algebra-specific, this gap is load-bearing.
- [§3–4] §3–4 (definitions of the three coherent-state families and their time evolution): The manuscript does not provide an explicit check that the reported inequivalence survives a change of representation of the deformed algebra (e.g., the standard vs. the symmetric ordering). If the squeezing or trajectory deformation is representation-dependent, the dynamical conclusions would require qualification.
minor comments (2)
- [§2] Notation for the deformed annihilation operator and the GUP-saturating states should be introduced with a single consistent symbol set in §2 to avoid later confusion between a_β and a_GUP.
- [Figure captions] Figure captions for the phase-space plots should state the numerical value of βħ used and whether the trajectories are exact or obtained from a semiclassical approximation.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the careful reading and constructive comments. We address each major point below and indicate the revisions that will be incorporated.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: [Abstract, §1] Abstract and §1: The assertion that the loss of equivalence among coherent-state characterizations 'is generically lost in the presence of a minimal length' is not supported by the manuscript. All derivations and numerical comparisons are performed exclusively for the quadratic commutator [x,p]=iħ(1+βp²); no analysis or counter-example is given for other minimal-length deformations (e.g., exponential or higher-order forms) that are also motivated by quantum-gravity approaches. Because the central claim is framed as generic rather than algebra-specific, this gap is load-bearing.
Authors: We agree that the explicit analysis is restricted to the quadratic GUP [x,p]=iħ(1+βp²). The word 'generically' was used to emphasize the contrast with ordinary quantum mechanics rather than to claim universality across all possible deformations. To remove any ambiguity we will revise the abstract and §1 to state that the inequivalence holds for the quadratic GUP, which is the standard and most studied form. A brief remark will be added noting that other deformations remain an open direction for future work. revision: yes
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Referee: [§3–4] §3–4 (definitions of the three coherent-state families and their time evolution): The manuscript does not provide an explicit check that the reported inequivalence survives a change of representation of the deformed algebra (e.g., the standard vs. the symmetric ordering). If the squeezing or trajectory deformation is representation-dependent, the dynamical conclusions would require qualification.
Authors: The three families are defined algebraically via the deformed commutator and the annihilation operator; these definitions do not depend on a particular operator ordering or representation. All explicit calculations are performed in the conventional position-space representation used throughout the GUP literature. We will add a clarifying paragraph in §3 stating that the inequivalence and squeezing are algebraic consequences of the deformed Heisenberg relation and are therefore expected to persist under equivalent representations, while noting that a full comparison with symmetric ordering lies outside the present scope. revision: partial
Circularity Check
No circularity; derivation is self-contained within the GUP algebra
full rationale
The paper derives the loss of equivalence among coherent-state characterizations and the appearance of intrinsic squeezing directly from the modified commutator [x,p]=iħ(1+βp²) by explicit construction of the relevant operators and states. No parameter is fitted to a data subset and then relabeled as a prediction, no self-citation supplies a load-bearing uniqueness theorem, and no ansatz is smuggled in via prior work. The central results are therefore independent computations inside the chosen deformed algebra rather than reductions to the paper's own inputs.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (1)
- GUP deformation parameter β
axioms (1)
- domain assumption Deformed commutation relation [x, p] = i ħ (1 + eta p^{2}) encodes minimal length
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
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CSs as quasi-classical states Although CSs are genuine quantum states, one of their most remarkable features is that their dynamical evolu- tion closely mimics that of a classical harmonic oscillator. Thiscorrespondencecanbeformallyexaminedbyconsid- ering the time evolution of the expectation values of the ladder operators through the Ehrenfest theorem, w...
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[2]
It is a straightforward check that ⟨b†b⟩ψ(0) =⟨a †a⟩ψ(0)−α 0⟨a†⟩ψ(0)−α ∗ 0⟨a⟩ψ(0) +|α 0|2
CSs as eigenstates of the operatora Let us define the operatorb(α0)as b(α0) =a−α 0 .(II.14) To streamline the notation, henceforth we omit theα0- dependence ofb. It is a straightforward check that ⟨b†b⟩ψ(0) =⟨a †a⟩ψ(0)−α 0⟨a†⟩ψ(0)−α ∗ 0⟨a⟩ψ(0) +|α 0|2 . (II.15) Using Eqs. (II.10) and (II.13), this can be simplified to ⟨b†b⟩ψ(0) = 0. We then have b|ψ(0)⟩= ...
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[3]
The states{|n⟩}form an orthonormal and complete basis of the Hilbert space, commonly referred to as the Fock space
CSs as Poisson superpositions of number states Let us first define the set of normalized eigenstates of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian,{|n⟩}, satisfying H|n⟩=E n|n⟩, n≥0,(II.18) whereE n =ℏω n+ 1 2 denotes the energy spectrum of the oscillator. The states{|n⟩}form an orthonormal and complete basis of the Hilbert space, commonly referred to as the Foc...
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CSs as minimum uncertainty states Let us compute the position and momentum uncer- tainty of the quantum oscillator in the CS. Following the definitions in Eq. (II.4), we are led to ⟨x⟩α = r 2ℏ mω Re{α},(II.27) ∆xα ≡ p ⟨x2⟩α − ⟨x⟩2α = r ℏ 2mω ,(II.28) ⟨p⟩α = √ 2ℏmωIm{α},(II.29) ∆pα ≡ p ⟨p2⟩α − ⟨p⟩2α = r ℏmω 2 .(II.30) By inserting the above expressions of∆...
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CSs from the vacuum We now consider the unitary operator D(α) =e αa†−α∗a.(II.32) Since the operatorsαa † andα ∗aboth commute with their commutators (see Eq. (II.3)), we can use Baker- Campbell-Hausdorff (BCH) formula to write D(α) =e − |α|2 2 eαa† e−α∗a .(II.33) LetD(α)act on the zero-particle state|0⟩. Since e−α∗a|0⟩= X n (−1)n (α∗a)n n! |0⟩=|0⟩,(II.34) ...
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Such a wavefunction is defined as ψα(x)≡ ⟨x|α⟩=⟨x|D(α)|0⟩.(II.36) 5 To compute this matrix element, we rewrite the exponent in Eq
Position representation of CSs The relation (II.35) allows us to determine the wave functionψ α(x)that characterizes the CS|α⟩in the posi- tion representation{|x⟩}. Such a wavefunction is defined as ψα(x)≡ ⟨x|α⟩=⟨x|D(α)|0⟩.(II.36) 5 To compute this matrix element, we rewrite the exponent in Eq. (II.32) in terms ofxandpas αa† −α ∗a= r mω ℏ α−α ∗ √ 2 x− i√ ...
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Momentum representation of CSs For later convenience, it is also useful to determine the CS in the momentum representation. This is ob- tained by Fourier-transforming the position-space wave function, i.e., ϕα(p)≡ ⟨p|α⟩= 1√ 2πℏ Z ∞ −∞ e−i px ℏ ψα(x)dx ,(II.51) where we have used the spectral resolution of the iden- tity in the position space, along with t...
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(II.32), let us now define the generalized displacement operatorD f(αf) =e αf a† f −α∗ f af
in such a way that af |n⟩f = √n|n−1⟩ f ,(III.16) a† f |n⟩f = √ n+ 1|n+ 1⟩ f ,(III.17) one can formally write the CS|αf ⟩as a Poisson distri- bution of Fock states according to |α⟩f =e − |αf |2 2 X n αn f√ n! |n⟩f .(III.18) Following Eq. (II.32), let us now define the generalized displacement operatorD f(αf) =e αf a† f −α∗ f af. As in the ordinary case, th...
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Then, it is easy to show, while theq−puncertainty relation is indeed saturated, for thex−puncertainty relation we get ∆x2 α∆p2 α = ℏ2 4 + βℏ3mω 4 + 7β2h4m2ω2 16 .(III.23) On the other hand, when the minimal uncertainty prod- uct is computed for these states according to Eq. (III.1), we find ℏ2 4 |⟨f(p)⟩ α|2 = ℏ2 4 + βh3mω 4 + β2h4m2ω2 16 .(III.24) The dif...
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