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The definition of an action functional for the Jacobi sigma models, known for Jacobi brackets of functions, is generalized to \emph{Jacobi bundles}, i.e., Lie brackets on sections of (possibly nontrivial) line bundles, with the particular case of contact manifolds. Different approaches are proposed, but all of them share a common feature: the presence of a \emph{homogeneity structure} appearing as a principal action of the Lie group $\mathbb{R}^{\times}=\mathrm{GL}(1;\mathbb{R})$. Consequently, solutions of the equations of motions are morphisms of certain \emph{Jacobi algebroids}, i.e., principal $\mathbb{R}^{\times}$-bundles equipped additionally with a compatible Lie algebroid structure. Despite the different approaches we propose, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the space of solutions of the different models. The definition can be immediately extended to \emph{almost Poisson} and \emph{almost Jacobi brackets}, i.e., to brackets that do not satisfy the Jacobi identity. Our sigma models are geometric and fully covariant., Comment: 35 pages

We define the gauge potentials of Poisson electrodynamics as sections of a symplectic realization of the spacetime manifold and infinitesimal gauge transformations as a representation of the associated Lie algebroid acting on the symplectic realization. Finite gauge transformations are obtained by integrating the sections of the Lie algebroid to bisections of a symplectic groupoid, which form a one-parameter group of transformations, whose action on the fields of the theory is realized in terms of an action groupoid. A covariant electromagnetic two-form is obtained, together with a dual two-form, invariant under gauge transformations. The duality appearing in the picture originates from the existence of a pair of orthogonal foliations of the symplectic realization, which produce dual quotient manifolds, one related with space-time, the other with momenta., Comment: 23 pages. No figures. Revised version: contains a comparison with ref. [9]. References added

An extension of Cencov's categorical description of classical inference theory to the domain of quantum systems is presented. It provides a novel categorical foundation to the theory of quantum information that embraces both classical and quantum information theory in a natural way, while also allowing to formalise the notion of quantum environment. A first application of these ideas is provided by extending the notion of statistical manifold to incorporate categories, and investigating a possible, uniparametric Cramer-Rao inequality in this setting., Comment: 20 pages, comments are welcome!

We discuss how to exploit the recent formulation of classical and quantum information geometry in terms of normal states on $W^{*}$-algebras to formulate a problem that unifies Cencov's theorem and Petz's theorem., Comment: 9 pages - Comments are welcome!

It is well known that certain features of a quantum theory cannot be described in the standard picture on a Hilbert space. In particular, this happens when we try to formally frame a quantum field theory, or a thermodynamic system with finite density. This forces us to introduce different types of algebras, more general than the ones we usually encounter in a standard course of quantum mechanics. We show how these algebras naturally arise in the Schwinger description of the quantum mechanics of an infinite spin chain. In particular, we use the machinery of Dirac-Feynman-Schwinger (DFS) states developed in recent works to introduce a dynamics based on the modular theory by Tomita-Takesaki, and consequently we apply this approach to describe the Ising model., Comment: 42 pages, 1 figure

We go on with the program started in the companion paper [CDI+] of defining a Poisson bracket structure on the space of solutions of the equations of motion of first order Hamiltonian field theories. The case of non-Abelian gauge theories is addressed by using a suitable version of the coisotropic embedding theorem.

We analyse the problem of defining a Poisson bracket structure on the space of solutions of the equations of motions of first order Hamiltonian field theories. The cases of Hamiltonian mechanical point systems (as a (0 + 1)-dimensional field) and more general field theories without gauge symmetries are addressed by showing the existence of a symplectic (and, thus, a Poisson) structure on the space of solutions. Also the easiest case of gauge theory, namely free electrodynamics, is considered: within this problem, a pre-symplectic tensor on the space of solutions is introduced, and a Poisson structure is induced in terms of a flat connection on a suitable bundle associated to the theory.

Given a real, finite-dimensional, smooth parallelizable Riemannian manifold $(\mathcal{N},G)$ endowed with a teleparallel connection $\nabla$ determined by a choice of a global basis of vector fields on $\mathcal{N}$, we show that the $G$-dual connection $\nabla^{*}$ of $\nabla$ in the sense of Information Geometry must be the teleparallel connection determined by the basis of $G$-gradient vector fields associated with a basis of differential one-forms which is (almost) dual to the basis of vector fields determining $\nabla$. We call any such pair $(\nabla,\nabla^{*})$ a $G$-dual teleparallel pair. Then, after defining a covariant $(0,3)$ tensor $T$ uniquely determined by $(\mathcal{N},G,\nabla,\nabla^{*})$, we show that $T$ being symmetric in the first two entries is equivalent to $\nabla$ being torsion-free, that $T$ being symmetric in the first and third entry is equivalent to $\nabla^{*}$ being torsion free, and that $T$ being symmetric in the second and third entries is equivalent to the basis vectors determining $\nabla$ ($\nabla^{*}$) being parallel-transported by $\nabla^{*}$ ($\nabla$). Therefore, $G$-dual teleparallel pairs provide a generalization of the notion of Statistical Manifolds usually employed in Information Geometry, and we present explicit examples of $G$-dual teleparallel pairs arising both in the context of both Classical and Quantum Information Geometry., Comment: version 2: minor revisions following reviews, and minor cosmetic changes. Comments are welcome!

Starting from the canonical symmetroid $\mathcal{S}(G)$ associated with a groupoid $G$, the issue of describing dynamical maps in the groupoidal approach to Quantum Mechanics is addressed. After inducing a Haar measure on the canonical symmetroid $\mathcal{S}(G)$, the associated von-Neumann groupoid algebra is constructed. It is shown that the left-regular representation allows to define linear maps on the groupoid-algebra of the groupoid $G$ and given subsets of functions are associated with completely positive maps. Some simple examples are also presented., Comment: 21 pages

In this paper the problem of tomographic reconstruction of states is investigated within the so-called Schwinger's picture of Quantum Mechanics in which a groupoid is associated with every quantum system. The attention is focused on spin tomography: In this context the groupoid of interest is the groupoid of pairs over a finite set. In a nutshell, this groupoid is made up of transitions between all possible pairs of outcomes belonging to a finite set. In addition, these transitions possess a partial composition rule, generalizing the notion of groups. The main goal of the paper consists in providing a reconstruction formula for states on the groupoid-algebra associated with the observables of the system. Using the group of bisections of this groupoid, which are special subsets in one-to-one correspondence with the outcomes, a frame is defined and it is used to prove the validity of the tomographic reconstruction. The special case of the set of outcomes being the set of integers modulo n, with n odd prime, is considered in detail. In this case the subgroup of discrete affine linear transformations, whose graphs are linear subspaces of the groupoid, provides a \textit{quorum} in close analogy with the continuos case., Comment: 32 pages

We review some geometrical aspects pertaining to the world of monotone quantum metrics in finite dimensions. Particular emphasis is given to an unfolded perspective for quantum states that is built out of the spectral theorem and is naturally suited to investigate the comparison with the classical case of probability distributions., Comment: 45 pages

Noticing that the space of the solutions of a first order Hamiltonian field theory has a pre-symplectic structure, we describe a class of conserved charges on it associated to the momentum map determined by any symmetry group of transformations. Gauge theories are dealt with by using a symplectic regularization based on an application of Gotay's coisotropic embedding theorem. The analysis of Electrodynamics and of the Klein-Gordon theory illustrates the main results of the theory as well as the emergence of the energy-momentum tensor algebra of conserved currents.

A novel derivation of Feynman's sum-over-histories construction of the quantum propagator using the groupoidal description of Schwinger picture of Quantum Mechanics is presented. It is shown that such construction corresponds to the GNS representation of a natural family of states called Dirac-Feynman-Schwinger (DFS) states. Such states are obtained from a q-Lagrangian function $\ell$ on the groupoid of configurations of the system. The groupoid of histories of the system is constructed and the q-Lagrangian $\ell$ allow to define a DFS state on the algebra of the groupoid. The particular instance of the groupoid of pairs of a Riemannian manifold serves to illustrate Feynman's original derivation of the propagator for a point particle described by a classical Lagrangian $L$., Comment: 16 pages

Using the recently developed groupoidal description of Schwinger's picture of Quantum Mechanics, a new approach to Dirac's fundamental question on the role of the Lagrangian in Quantum Mechanics is provided. It is shown that a function $\ell$ on the groupoid of configurations (or kinematical groupoid) of a quantum system determines a state on the von Neumann algebra of the histories of the system. This function, which we call {\itshape q-Lagrangian}, can be described in terms of a new function $\mathcal{L}$ on the Lie algebroid of the theory. When the kinematical groupoid is the pair groupoid of a smooth manifold $M$, the quadratic expansion of $\mathcal{L}$ will reproduce the standard Lagrangians on $TM$ used to describe the classical dynamics of particles., Comment: 12 pages

Starting from the groupoid approach to Schwinger's picture of Quantum Mechanics, a proposal for the description of symmetries in this framework is advanced.It is shown that, given a groupoid $G\rightrightarrows \Omega$ associated with a (quantum) system, there are two possible descriptions of its symmetries, one "microscopic", the other one "global".The microscopic point of view leads to the introduction of an additional layer over the grupoid $G$, giving rise to a suitable algebraic structure of 2-groupoid.On the other hand, taking advantage of the notion of group of bisections of a given groupoid, the global perspective allows to construct a group of symmetries out of a 2-groupoid.The latter notion allows to introduce an analog of the Wigner's theorem for quantum symmetries in the groupoid approach to Quantum Mechanics., Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures

Schr\"{o}dinger's famous Gedankenexperiment involving a cat is used as a motivation to discuss the evolution of states of the composition of classical and quantum systems in the groupoid formalism for physical theories introduced recently. It is shown that the notion of classical system, in the sense of Birkhoff and von Neumann, is equivalent, in the case of systems with a countable number of outputs, to a totally disconnected groupoid with Abelian von Neumann algebra. In accordance with Raggio's theorem, the impossibility of evolving the product state of a composite system made up of a classical and a quantum one into an entangled state by means of a unitary evolution which is internal to the composite system itself is proved in the groupoid formalism., Comment: 24 pages. A slightly different version this work will has appeared in Entropy. The main difference is that in the version published in Entropy no mention is made of Schr\"{o}dinger's cat Gedankenexperiment. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome!

A novel reduction procedure for covariant classical field theories, reflecting the generalized symplectic reduction theory of Hamiltonian systems, is presented. The departure point of this reduction procedure consists in the choice of a submanifold of the manifold of solutions of the equations describing a field theory. Then, the covariance of the geometrical objects involved, will allow to define equations of motion on a reduced space. The computation of the canonical geometrical structure is performed neatly by using the geometrical framework provided by the multisymplectic description of covariant field theories. The procedure is illustrated by reducing the D'Alembert theory on a five-dimensional Minkowski space-time to a massive Klein-Gordon theory in four dimensions and, more interestingly, to the Schr\"odinger equation in 3+1 dimensions., Comment: 14 pages

The analysis of the covariant brackets on the space of functions on the solutions to a variational problem in the framework of contact geometry initiated in the companion letter Ref.19 is extended to the case of the multisymplectic formulation of the free Klein-Gordon theory and of the free Schr\"{o}dinger equation., Comment: 16 pages

The formulation of covariant brackets on the space of solutions to a variational problem is analyzed in the framework of contact geometry. It is argued that the Poisson algebra on the space of functionals on fields should be read as a Poisson subalgebra within an algebra of functions equipped with a Jacobi bracket on a suitable contact manifold., Comment: 16 pages

An explicit Lagrangian description is given for the Heisenberg equation on the algebra of operators of a quantum system, and for the Landau-von Neumann equation on the manifold of quantum states which are isospectral with respect to a fixed reference quantum state., Comment: 13 pages

The groupoids description of Schwinger's picture of quantum mechanics is continued by discussing the closely related notions of composition of systems, subsystems, and their independence. Physical subsystems have a neat algebraic description as subgroupoids of the Schwinger's groupoid of the system. The groupoids picture offers two natural notions of composition of systems: Direct and free products of groupoids, that will be analyzed in depth as well as their universal character. Finally, the notion of independence of subsystems will be reviewed, finding that the usual notion of independence, as well as the notion of free independence, find a natural realm in the groupoids formalism. The ideas described in this paper will be illustrated by using the EPRB experiment. It will be observed that, in addition to the notion of the non-separability provided by the entangled state of the system, there is an intrinsic `non-separability' associated to the impossibility of identifying the entangled particles as subsystems of the total system., Comment: 32 pages. Comments are welcome!

In this paper we will present tha main features of what can be called Schwinger's foundational approach to Quantum Mechanics. The basic ingredients of this formulation are the \textit{selective measurements}, whose algebraic composition rules define a mathematical structure called groupoid, which is associated with any physical system. After the introduction of the basic axioms of a groupoid, the concepts of observables and states, statistical interpretation and evolution are derived. An example is finally introduced to support the theoretical description of this approach., Comment: 14 pages, Proceedings PAFT 2019

Motivated by the geometrical structures of quantum mechanics, we introduce an almost-complex structure $J$ on the product $M\times M$ of any parallelizable statistical manifold $M$. Then, we use $J$ to extract a pre-symplectic form and a metric-like tensor on $M\times M$ from a divergence function. These tensors may be pulled back to $M$, and we compute them in the case of an N-dimensional symplex with respect to the Kullback-Leibler relative entropy, and in the case of (a suitable unfolding space of) the manifold of faithful density operators with respect to the von Neumann-Umegaki relative entropy., Comment: 19 pages, comments are welcome!

By fixing a reference frame in spacetime, it is possible to split the Euler-Lagrange equations associated with a degenerate Lagrangian into purely evolutionary equations and constraints on the allowed Cauchy data with respect to the notion of Space and Time associated with the given reference frame. In the context of Classical Electrodynamics, we introduce a "covariantization procedure" that allows to invert the perspective and to recover a full-fledged covariant formulation of Maxwell's equations starting only with constraint equations (i.e., Gauss' law and the local version of the law of conservation of magnetic flux) as perceived in a sufficient number of (inertial) reference frames on Minkowski spacetime.

In this paper a generalized form of relativistic dynamics is presented: A realization of the Poincar\'e algebra is provided in terms of vector fields on the tangent bundle of a simultaneity surface in $\mathbb{R}^4$. The construction of this realization is explicitly shown to clarify the role of the commutation relations of the Poincar\'e algebra versus their description in terms of Poisson brackets in the no-interaction theorem. Moreover, a geometrical analysis of the ``eleventh generator'' formalism introduced by Sudarshan and Mukunda is outlined, this formalism being at the basis of many proposals which evaded the no-interaction theorem., Comment: 15 pages

Linear dynamics restricted to invariant submanifolds generally gives rise to nonlinear dynamics. Submanifolds in the quantum framework may emerge for several reasons: one could be interested in specific properties possessed by a given family of states, either as a consequence of experimental constraints or inside an approximation scheme. In this work we investigate such issues in connection with a one parameter group $\phi_t$ of transformations on a Hilbert space, $\mathcal{H}$, defining the unitary evolutions of a chosen quantum system. Two procedures will be presented: the first one consists in the restriction of the vector field associated with the Schr\"{o}dinger equation to a submanifold invariant under the flow $\phi_t$. The second one makes use of the Lagrangian formalism and can be extended also to non-invariant submanifolds, even if in such a case the resulting dynamics is only an approximation of the flow $\phi_t$. Such a result, therefore, should be conceived as a generalization of the variational method already employed for stationary problems., Comment: 38 pages

Schwinger's algebra of selective measurements has a natural interpretation in terms of groupoids. This approach is pushed forward in this paper to show that the theory of coherent states has a natural setting in the framework of groupoids. Thus given a quantum mechanical system with associated Hilbert space determined by a representation of a groupoid, it is shown that any invariant subset of the group of invertible elements in the groupoid algebra determines a family of generalized coherent states provided that a completeness condition is satisfied. The standard coherent states for the harmonic oscillator as well as generalized coherent states for f-oscillators are exemplified in this picture., Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure

The so-called $q$-z-\textit{R\'enyi Relative Entropies} provide a huge two-parameter family of relative entropies which includes almost all well-known examples of quantum relative entropies for suitable values of the parameters. In this paper we consider a log-regularized version of this family and use it as a family of potential functions to generate covariant $(0,2)$ symmetric tensors on the space of invertible quantum states in finite dimensions. The geometric formalism developed here allows us to obtain the explicit expressions of such tensor fields in terms of a basis of globally defined differential forms on a suitable unfolding space without the need to introduce a specific set of coordinates. To make the reader acquainted with the intrinsic formalism introduced, we first perform the computation for the qubit case, and then, we extend the computation of the metric-like tensors to a generic $n$-level system. By suitably varying the parameters $q$ and $z$, we are able to recover well-known examples of quantum metric tensors that, in our treatment, appear written in terms of globally defined geometrical objects that do not depend on the coordinates system used. In particular, we obtain a coordinate-free expression for the von Neumann-Umegaki metric, for the Bures metric and for the Wigner-Yanase metric in the arbitrary $n$-level case., Comment: 50 pages, 1 figure

Recently, a method to dynamically define a divergence function $D$ for a given statistical manifold $(\mathcal{M}\,,g\,,T)$ by means of the Hamilton-Jacobi theory associated with a suitable Lagrangian function $\mathfrak{L}$ on $T\mathcal{M}$ has been proposed. Here we will review this construction and lay the basis for an inverse problem where we assume the divergence function $D$ to be known and we look for a Lagrangian function $\mathfrak{L}$ for which $D$ is a complete solution of the associated Hamilton-Jacobi theory. To apply these ideas to quantum systems, we have to replace probability distributions with probability amplitudes., Comment: 8 pages

The use of the quantizer-dequantizer formalism to describe the evolution of a quantum system is reconsidered. We show that it is possible to embed a manifold in the space of quantum states of a given auxiliary system by means of an appropriate quantizer-dequantizer system. If this manifold of states is invariant with respect to some unitary evolution, the quantizer-dequantizer system provides a classical-like realization of such dynamics, which in general is non linear. Integrability properties are also discussed. Weyl systems and generalized coherente states are used as a simple illustration of these ideas., Comment: 15 pages

In this paper we shall consider the stratified manifold of quantum states and the vector fields which act on it. In particular, we show that the infinitesimal generator of the GKLS evolution is composed of a generator of unitary transformations plus a gradient vector field along with a Kraus vector field transversal to the strata defined by the involutive distribution generated by the former ones., Comment: 30 pages, 2 figures, comments are welcome

We show that the space of observables of test particles carries a natural Jacobi structure which is manifestly invariant under the action of the Poincar\'{e} group. Poisson algebras may be obtained by imposing further requirements. A generalization of Peierls procedure is used to extend this Jacobi bracket on the space of time-like geodesics on Minkowski space-time., Comment: 13 pages Submitted to MPLA

This paper contains a set of lecture notes on manifolds with boundary and corners, with particular attention to the space of quantum states. A geometrically inspired way of dealing with these kind of manifolds is presented,and explicit examples are given in order to clearly illustrate the main ideas., Comment: 42 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics

A geometrical approach to the covariant formulation of the dynamics of relativistic systems is introduced. A realization of Peierls brackets by means of a bivector field over the space of solutions of the Euler-Lagrange equations of a variational principle is presented. The method is illustrated with some relevant examples., Comment: 14 pages

We describe how it is possible to describe irreducible actions of the Hodge - de Rham Dirac operator upon the exterior algebra over the quantum spheres ${\rm SU}_q(2)$ equipped with a three dimensional left covariant calculus., Comment: 18 pages

We describe both the Hodge - de Rham and the spin manifold Dirac operator on the spheres ${\rm S}^3$ and ${\rm S}^2$, following the formalism introduced by K\"ahler, and exhibit a complete spectral resolution for them in terms of suitably globally defined eigenspinors., Comment: 27 pages

The search for a potential function $S$ allowing to reconstruct a given metric tensor $g$ and a given symmetric covariant tensor $T$ on a manifold $\mathcal{M}$ is formulated as the Hamilton-Jacobi problem associated with a canonically defined Lagrangian on $T\mathcal{M}$. The connection between this problem, the geometric structure of the space of pure states of quantum mechanics, and the theory of contrast functions of classical information geometry is outlined., Comment: 16 pages. A discussion on the Kullback-Leibler divergence has been added. To appear in Journal of Mathematical Physics

The purpose of this article is to exploit the geometric structure of Quantum Mechanics and of statistical manifolds to study the qualitative effect that the quantum properties have in the statistical description of a system. We show that the end points of geodesics in the classical setting coincide with the probability distributions that minimise Shannon's Entropy, i.e. with distributions of zero dispersion. In the quantum setting this happens only for particular initial conditions, which in turn correspond to classical submanifolds. This result can be interpreted as a geometric manifestation of the uncertainty principle., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures

We propose a new point of view regarding the problem of time in quantum mechanics, based on the idea of replacing the usual time operator $\mathbf{T}$ with a suitable real-valued function $T$ on the space of physical states. The proper characterization of the function $T$ relies on a particular relation with the dynamical evolution of the system rather than with the infinitesimal generator of the dynamics (Hamiltonian). We first consider the case of classical Hamiltonian mechanics, where observables are functions on phase space and the tools of differential geometry can be applied. The idea is then extended to the case of the unitary evolution of pure states of finite-level quantum systems by means of the geometric formulation of quantum mechanics. It is found that $T$ is a function on the space of pure states which is not associated to any self-adjoint operator. The link between $T$ and the dynamical evolution is interpreted as defining a simultaneity relation for the states of the system with respect to the dynamical evolution itself. It turns out that different dynamical evolutions lead to different notions of simultaneity, i.e., the notion of simultaneity is a dynamical notion., Comment: 14 pages