Meanings
plural Heisenberg pictures
- quantum mechanicsA formulation of quantum mechanics in which the operators (observables and others) incorporate a dependency on time, but the state vectors are time-independent, an arbitrary fixed basis rigidly underlying the theory. It stands in contrast to the Schrödinger picture in which the operators are constant, and further serves to define a third, hybrid picture, the interaction picture.
Synonyms: Heisenberg representation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA formulation of quantum mechanics in which the operators (observables and others) incorporate a dependency on time, but the state vectors are time-independent, an arbitrary fixed basis rigidly underlying the theory. It stands in contrast to the Schrödinger picture in which the operators are constant, and further serves to define a third, hybrid picture, the interaction picture.
Origin
Largely due to Werner Heisenberg in 1925.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Heisenberg picture. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Heisenberg%20picture
“Heisenberg picture.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Heisenberg%20picture. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Heisenberg picture,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Heisenberg%20picture.
Source: Heisenberg picture on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.