Quantum statistical mechanics on stochastic phase space

Within the context of the theory of stochastic phase spaces, introduced in some earlier papers, a systematic mathematical procedure is developed for expressing quantum mechanical observables as generalized functions on a stochastic phase space. The states in such a theory are normalized, positive semidefinite, continuous functions of the phase space variables, satisfying marginality conditions appropriate to the stochastic nature of the underlying phase space. The action of a general quantum mechanical observable on the state space is then shown to lead in general to formal differential operators of finite or infinite order. Explicit computations of some typical operators are made to illustrate the theory. As a useful practical application, the theory is employed to derive a Bloch equation from which the Husimi transform of the canonical equilibrium state is then computed, after expressing it as an infinite series in powers of hsub(/2π). (author)