GeneralizedQ-functions
Thomas B. Smith · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General · 2006
The modulus squared of a class of wavefunctions defined on phase space is used to define a generalized family of Q or Husimi functions. A parameter λ specifies orderings in a mapping from the operator |ψ⟩⟨σ| to the corresponding phase space wavefunction, where σ is a given fiducial vector. The choice λ = 0 specifies the Weyl mapping and the Q -function so obtained is the usual one when |σ⟩ is the vacuum state. More generally, any choice of λ in the range (−1, 1) corresponds to orderings varying between standard and anti-standard. For all such orderings the generalized Q -functions are non-negative by construction. They are shown to be proportional to the expectation of the system state with respect to a generalized displaced squeezed state which depends on λ and position ( p , q ) in phase space. Thus, when a system has been prepared in the state , a generalized Q -function is proportional to the probability of finding it in the generalized squeezed state. Any such Q -function can also be written as the smoothing of the Wigner function for the system state by convolution with the Wigner function for the generalized squeezed state.