Lattices and Their Consistent Quantification

The order‐theoretic concept of lattices is introduced along with the concept of consistent quantification where lattice elements are mapped to real numbers in such a way that preserves some aspect of the order‐theoretic structure. Symmetries, such as associativity, constrain consistent quantification, and lead to a constraint equation known as the sum rule. Distributivity in distributive lattices also constrains consistent quantification and leads to a product rule. The sum and product rules, which are familiar from, but not unique to, probability theory, arise from the fact that logical statements form a distributive (Boolean) lattice, which exhibits the requisite symmetries.     

Fast Car Physics,by Chuck Edmondson

An introduction to the theory of modular symmetries in two-dimensional materials, and its application to ‘relativistic’ group IV materials like graphene, silicene, germanene and stanene, is given. Universal properties of the magneto-electric Hall effect are extracted by projecting experimental transport data directly onto the phase diagram. When families of data depending on the dominant scale parameter (usually temperature) are available, we can extract flow lines that chart the geometry of the phase diagram, including the location of quantum critical points and phase boundaries connecting these. The universal data are used to identify emergent modular symmetries, which are infinite discrete groups of fractional linear (Möbius) transformations. Such symmetries are extremely rigid, and therefore spawn a host of sharp predictions that are easy to falsify, but so far they have failed to fail. The unique topology of the Fermi surface in the graphene family gives a robust gapless mode with linear dispersion (relativistic Dirac cones) that shifts the spectrum of Landau levels that appear when the material is placed in a strong magnetic field. The modular analysis can be extended to this case, and where reliable data are available, there appears to be agreement. A convincing case for the ‘relativistic’ quantum Hall group is hampered by the paucity of fractional quantum Hall data, the absence of scaling data and the crossover between different scaling regimes. This is likely to change in the near future, as scaling data for graphene are just now becoming available.     

Effective Gauge Theories of Composite W,Z and Massless Fermions

We have attempted to identify the circumstances under which a weakly coupled massive gauge theory such as the standard Glashow-Salam-Weinberg model, can emerge as a low energy effective Lagrangian of an ASF preon gauge theory. This involves many issues including the interplay between global and local symmetries and sum rules connecting long and short distance physics. The article puts together these issues and demonstrates that ASF preon models can be very tight and predictive frameworks. We make a systematic search of a minimal extension of the standard electro-weak theory, which could emerge as a low energy effective Lagrangian of an ASF preon gauge theory, in which the left-right symmetry is spontaneously broken by vacuum condensation.     

Rigid symmetries and BRST-invariance in gauge theories

The structure of the symmetry algebra of theories with simultaneous local and rigid symmetries is analyzed. BRST-invariant Faddeev-Popov gauge-fixing in such theories is discussed and it is proven that the BRST-transformations can always be made to commute with the rigid symmetries by assigning specific transformation rules to the ghosts. The problem of keeping the rigid symmetries manifest in the quantum theory is shown to reduce to the problem of finding covariant gauge conditions. Such covariant gauges exist only if the algebra of local and rigid symmetries has a semi-direct product structure.     

Strong interaction at finite temperature

We review two methods discussed in the literature to determine the effective parameters of strongly interacting particles as they move through a heat bath. The first one is the general method of chiral perturbation theory, which may be readily applied to this problem. The other is the method of thermal QCD sum rules. We show that, when the spectral sides of the sum rules are calculated correctly, they do not lead to any new results, but reproduce those of the vacuum sum rules.     

Quantum Set Theory

The complete orthomodular lattice of closed subspaces of a Hilbert space is considered as the logic describing a quantum physical system, and called a quantum logic. G. Takeuti developed a quantum set theory based on the quantum logic. He showed that the real numbers defined in the quantum set theory represent observables in quantum physics. We formulate the quantum set theory by introducing a strong implication corresponding to the lattice order, and represent the basic concepts of quantum physics such as propositions, symmetries, and states in the quantum set theory.     

Causality, symmetries and quantum mechanics

It is argued that there is no evidence for causality as a metaphysical relation in quantum phenomena. The assumptions that there are no causal laws, but only probabilities for physical processes constrained by symmetries, leads naturally to quantum mechanics. In particular, an argument is made for why there are probability amplitudes that are complex numbers. This argument generalizes the Feynman path integral formulation of quantum mechanics to include all possible terms in the action that are allowed by the symmetries, but only the lowest order terms are observable at the presently accessible energy scales, which is consistent with observation. The notion of relational reality is introduced in order to give physical meaning to probabilities. This appears to give rise to a new interpretation of quantum mechanics.     

Quantum fractionalism: The Born rule as a consequence of the complex Pythagorean theorem

Everettian Quantum Mechanics, or the Many Worlds Interpretation, lacks an explanation for quantum probabilities. We show that the values given by the Born rule equal projection factors, describing the contraction of Lebesgue measures in orthogonal projections from the complex line of a quantum state to eigenspaces of an observable. Unit total probability corresponds to a complex Pythagorean theorem: the measure of a subset of the complex line is the sum of the measures of its projections on all eigenspaces.Postulating the existence of a continuum infinity of identical quantum universes, all with the same quasi-classical worlds, we show that projection factors give relative amounts of worlds. These appear as relative frequencies of results in quantum experiments, and play the role of probabilities in decisions and inference. This solves the probability problem of Everett's theory, allowing its preferred basis problem to be solved as well, and may help settle questions about the nature of probability.     

Quantum field theory in curved spacetime,the operator product expansion,and dark energy

To make sense of quantum field theory in an arbitrary (globally hyperbolic) curved spacetime, the theory must be formulated in a local and covariant manner in terms of locally measurable field observables. Since a generic curved spacetime does not possess symmetries or a unique notion of a vacuum state, the theory also must be formulated in a manner that does not require symmetries or a preferred notion of a “vacuum state” and “particles”. We propose such a formulation of quantum field theory, wherein the operator product expansion (OPE) of the quantum fields is elevated to a fundamental status, and the quantum field theory is viewed as being defined by its OPE. Since the OPE coefficients may be better behaved than any quantities having to do with states, we suggest that it may be possible to perturbatively construct the OPE coefficients—and, thus, the quantum field theory. By contrast, ground/vacuum states—in spacetimes, such as Minkowski spacetime, where they may be defined—cannot vary analytically with the parameters of the theory. We argue that this implies that composite fields may acquire nonvanishing vacuum state expectation values due to nonperturbative effects. We speculate that this could account for the existence of a nonvanishing vacuum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor of a quantum field occurring at a scale much smaller than the natural scales of the theory. Fourth Award in the 2008 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation.     

Quasi-Galois symmetries of the modularS-matrix

The recently introduced Galois symmetries of rational conformal field theory are generalized, for the case of WZW theories, to quasi-Galois symmetries. These symmetries can be used to derive a large number of equalities and sum rules for entries of the modular matrixS, including some that previously had been observed empirically. In addition, quasi-Galois symmetries allow us to construct modular invariants and to relateS-matrices as well as modular invariants at different levels. They also lead us to a convenient closed expression for the branching rules of the conformal embeddings.     

NIFTy 3 – Numerical Information Field Theory: A Python Framework for Multicomponent Signal Inference on HPC Clusters

NIFTy , “Numerical Information Field Theory,” is a software framework designed to ease the development and implementation of field inference algorithms. Field equations are formulated independently of the underlying spatial geometry allowing the user to focus on the algorithmic design. Under the hood, NIFTy ensures that the discretization of the implemented equations is consistent. This enables the user to prototype an algorithm rapidly in 1D and then apply it to high‐dimensional real‐world problems. This paper introduces NIFTy  3, a major upgrade to the original NIFTy  framework. NIFTy  3 allows the user to run inference algorithms on massively parallel high performance computing clusters without changing the implementation of the field equations. It supports n‐dimensional Cartesian spaces, spherical spaces, power spaces, and product spaces as well as transforms to their harmonic counterparts. Furthermore, NIFTy  3 is able to handle non‐scalar fields, such as vector or tensor fields. The functionality and performance of the software package is demonstrated with example code, which implements a mock inference inspired by a real‐world algorithm from the realm of information field theory. NIFTy  3 is open‐source software available under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPL‐3) at https://gitlab.mpcdf.mpg.de/ift/NIFTy/tree/NIFTy_3 .     

What can we learn from sum rules for vertex functions in QCD?

We demonstrate that the light-cone sum rules for vertex functions based on the operator product expansion and QCD perturbation theory lead to interesting relationships between various non-perturbative parameters associated with hadronic bound states (e.g. vertex couplings and decay constants). We also show that such sum rules provide a valuable means of estimating the matrix elements of the higher spin operators in the meson wave function.     

Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Measurements

Quantum mechanics, in its orthodox version, imposes severe limits on what can be known, or even said, about the condition of a quantum system between two observations. A relatively new approach, based on so-called “weak measurements”, suggests that such forbidden knowledge can be gained by studying the system's response to an inaccurate weakly perturbing measuring device. It goes further to propose revising the whole concept of physics variables, and offers various examples of counterintuitive quantum behavior. Both views go to the very heart of quantum theory, and yet are rarely compared directly. A new technique must either transcend the orthodox limits, or just prove that these limits are indeed necessary. Both possibilities are studied and orthodoxy is vindicated.     

Accessing Active Inference Theory through Its Implicit and Deliberative Practice in Human Organizations

Active inference theory (AIT) is a corollary of the free-energy principle, which formalizes cognition of living system’s autopoietic organization. AIT comprises specialist terminology and mathematics used in theoretical neurobiology. Yet, active inference is common practice in human organizations, such as private companies, public institutions, and not-for-profits. Active inference encompasses three interrelated types of actions, which are carried out to minimize uncertainty about how organizations will survive. The three types of action are updating work beliefs, shifting work attention, and/or changing how work is performed. Accordingly, an alternative starting point for grasping active inference, rather than trying to understand AIT specialist terminology and mathematics, is to reflect upon lived experience. In other words, grasping active inference through autoethnographic research. In this short communication paper, accessing AIT through autoethnography is explained in terms of active inference in existing organizational practice (implicit active inference), new organizational methodologies that are informed by AIT (deliberative active inference), and combining implicit and deliberative active inference. In addition, these autoethnographic options for grasping AIT are related to generative learning.     

A short introduction to quantum symmetry

In quantum theory, symmetries more general than groups are possible. We give a general definition of a quantum symmetry, such that symmetry operations act on the Hilbert space of physical states and notions of unitarity, invariance and covariance are defined. Within this frame, weak quasi quantum groups are described as a natural generalization of group algebras. Consistency with locality distinguishes them from more general quantum symmetries. To find the new kinds of symmetry one should investigate low dimensional quantum systems such as two-dimensional layers.     

Facts,Values and Quanta

Quantum mechanics is a fundamentally probabilistic theory (at least so far as the empirical predictions are concerned). It follows that, if one wants to properly understand quantum mechanics, it is essential to clearly understand the meaning of probability statements. The interpretation of probability has excited nearly as much philosophical controversy as the interpretation of quantum mechanics. 20th century physicists have mostly adopted a frequentist conception. In this paper it is argued that we ought, instead, to adopt a logical or Bayesian conception. The paper includes a comparison of the orthodox and Bayesian theories of statistical inference. It concludes with a few remarks concerning the implications for the concept of physical reality.     

Inference in quantum physics

In quantum physics all experimental information is discrete and stochastic. But the values of physical quantities are considered to depict definite properties of the physical world. Thus physical quantities should be identified with mathematical variables which are derived from the experimental data, but which exhibit as little randomness as possible. We look for such variables in two examples by investigating how it is possible to arrive at a value of a physical quantity from intrinsically stochastic data. With the aid of standard probability calculus and elementary information theory, we are necessarily led to the quantum theoretical phases and state vectors as the first candidates for physical quantities.     

Free-Fall Non-Universality in Quantum Theory

The author shows by embodying the Einstein equivalence principle—local Poincaré invariance—and general covariance in quantum theory that wave-function spreading rules out the universality of free fall, that is, the free-fall trajectory of a quantum (test) particle depends on its internal properties. The author provides a quantitative estimate of the free-fall non-universality in terms of the Eötvös parameter, which turns out to be measurable in atom interferometry.     

Non-perturbative conserving approximations and Luttinger's sum rule

Weak-coupling conserving approximations can be constructed by truncations of the Luttinger-Ward functional and are well known as thermodynamically consistent approaches which respect macroscopic conservation laws as well as certain sum rules at zero temperature. These properties can also be shown for variational approximations that are generated within the framework of the self-energy-functional theory without a truncation of the diagram series. Luttinger's sum rule represents an exception. We analyze the conditions under which the sum rule holds within a non-perturbative conserving approximation. Numerical examples are given for a simple but non-trivial dynamical two-site approximation. The validity of the sum rule for finite Hubbard clusters and the consequences for cluster extensions of the dynamical mean-field theory are discussed.     

On the Hidden Symmetry Algebras of the Classical Principal Chiral Model

The hidden symmetries of the principal chiral model are studied by using the new infinitesimal Riemann-Hilbert transformations. It is found that the algebra of hidden symmetries decomposes into the semidirect sum of the loop algebra and the conformal algebra of the plane, where both subalgebras are Lie multi-algebras with each Lie product being a Baxter-Lie product with respect to some special solution of the modified classical Yang-Baxter equation. Two special examples of the Lie products are given, which are consistent with Wu's, Avan and Bellon's results.