States of physical systems in classical and quantum mechanics

Abstract

We discuss the descriptions of states of physical systems in classical and quantum mechanics. We show that while it is possible to evolve a terminology common to both, the differences in the underlying mathematical structures lead to significant points of departure between the two descriptions both at mathematical and conceptual levels. We analyse the state spaces associated with physical systems described by two and three dimensional complex Hilbert spaces in considerable detail to illustrate how subtle this question can in general be. We highlight the role the Bargmann invariants play in the passage from the Hilbert space to the ray space, the space of states in quantum mechanics, and also in the context of Wigner's theorem on symmetries in quantum mechanics where they originally appeared.