Not All Probability Density Functions Are Tomograms

Abstract

This paper delves into the significance of the tomographic probability density function (pdf) representation of quantum states, shedding light on the special classes of pdfs that can be tomograms. Instead of using wave functions or density operators on Hilbert spaces, tomograms, which are the true pdfs, are used to completely describe the states of quantum systems. Unlike quasi-pdfs, like the Wigner function, tomograms can be analysed using all the tools of classical probability theory for pdf estimation, which can allow a better quality of state reconstruction. This is particularly useful when dealing with non-Gaussian states where the pdfs are multi-mode. The knowledge of the family of distributions plays an important role in the application of both parametric and nonparametric density estimation methods. We show that not all pdfs can play the role of tomograms of quantum states and introduce the conditions that must be fulfilled by pdfs to be “quantum”.

Keywords

• probability distribution function
• symplectic tomogram
• quantum state reconstruction
• characteristic function