Talk:Glauber-Sudarshan P-representation

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[edit] Exponent 2?

I understand that you are saying that the Glauber-Sudarshan P-Representation is one in which one looks at density matrices which are mixtures of coherent states. Right? But what is the significance of the exponent "2" over the "d" in the integral? JRSpriggs 06:07, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

It is shorthand for d[Im(α)]d[Re(α)], since α is complex. If you think it is confusing the way it is, you can write it out explicitly. Waxigloo 14:04, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

This makes it sound like α is just a complex number. But it must actually be an element of an infinite dimensional space, which space is a subset of the set of functions from R³×{-1,+1} to the complex numbers (and that is only the real photons, not the virtual ones). JRSpriggs 07:47, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

It is just a complex number. The basis is the coherent state basis, which are completely characterized by a single complex number.Waxigloo 20:30, 27 August 2006 (UTC)