A constrained optimization problem in quantum statistical physics

Abstract: In this paper, we consider the problem of minimizing quantum free energies under the constraint that the density of particles is fixed at each point of Rd, for any d $\ge$ 1. We are more particularly interested in the characterization of the minimizer, which is a self-adjoint nonnegative trace class operator, and will show that it is solution to a nonlinear self-consistent problem. This question of deriving quantum statistical equilibria is at the heart of the quantum hydrody-namical models introduced by Degond and Ringhofer. An original feature of the problem is the local nature of constraint, i.e. it depends on position, while more classical models consider the total number of particles in the system to be fixed. This raises difficulties in the derivation of the Euler-Lagrange equations and in the characterization of the minimizer, which are tackled in part by a careful parametrization of the feasible set.