On the Positivity of Trace Class Operators

Abstract

The characterization of positivity properties of Weyl operators is a notoriously difficult problem, and not much progress has been made since the pioneering work of Kastler, Loupias, and Miracle-Sole (KLM). In this paper we begin by reviewing and giving simpler proofs of some known results for trace-class Weyl operators; the latter play an essential role in quantum mechanics. We then apply time-frequency analysis techniques to prove a phase space version of the KLM condition; the main tools are Gabor frames and the Wigner formalism. Finally, discrete approximations of the KLM condition, which are tractable numerically, are provided.