Abstract
Wódkiewicz1 has derived an operational formula for a positive phase-space distribution function in quantum mechanics (see also ref. 2). Here we point out that the proposed formula is actually a special case of a two-particle Wigner distribution function in which correlations have been neglected. We present a new operational formula which includes correlations. Also, we incorporate a brief description of the role and significance of quantum distribution functions in general.
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O'Connell, R., Walls, D. Operational approach to phase-space measurements in quantum mechanics. Nature 312, 257–258 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/312257a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/312257a0
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