Uncertainty and complementarity in axiomatic quantum mechanics

In this work an investigation of the uncertainty principle and the complementarity principle is carried through. A study of the physical content of these principles and their representation in the conventional Hilbert space formulation of quantum mechanics forms a natural starting point for this analysis. Thereafter is presented more general axiomatic framework for quantum mechanics, namely, a probability function formulation of the theory. In this general framework two extra axioms are stated, reflecting the ideas of the uncertainty principle and the complementarity principle, respectively. The quantal features of these axioms are explicated. The sufficiency of the state system guarantees that the observables satisfying the uncertainty principle are unbounded and noncompatible. The complementarity principle implies a non-Boolean proposition structure for the theory. Moreover, nonconstant complementary observables are always noncompatible. The uncertainty principle and the complementarity principle, as formulated in this work, are mutually independent. Some order is thus brought into the confused discussion about the interrelations of these two important principles. A comparison of the present formulations of the uncertainty principle and the complementarity principle with the Jauch formulation of the superposition principle is also given. The mutual independence of the three fundamental principles of the quantum theory is hereby revealed.     

Fundamental principles of quantum theory. II. From a convexity scheme to the DHB theory

Some classical and quantum theories are characterized within the convexity approach to probabilistic physical theories. In particular, the structure of the so-called DHB quantum theory will be analyzed. It turns out that the natural generalization of the standard Hubert space quantum mechanics, the operational one, is such a theory. The operational Hilbert space quantum theory will be reconstructed from the (weak) projection postulate and the complementarity principle. This is then used to argue that the DHB quantum theory is identical with the operational Hilbert space quantum theory.     

Nonlinear classical theory of electromagnetism

A topological theory of electric charge is given. Einstein's criteria for the completion of classical electromagnetic theory are summarized and their relation to quantum theory and the principle of complementarity is indicated. The inhibiting effect that this principle has had on the development of physical thought is discussed. Developments in the theory of functions on nonlinear spaces provide the conceptual framework required for the completion of electromagnetism. The theory is based on an underlying field which is a continuous mapping of space-time into points on the two-sphere.     

Quantum cellular automata and free quantum field theory

In a series of recent papers [1–4] it has been shown how free quantum field theory can be derived without using mechanical primitives (including space-time, special relativity, quantization rules, etc.), but only considering the easiest quantum algorithm encompassing a countable set of quantum systems whose network of interactions satisfies the simple principles of unitarity, homogeneity, locality, and isotropy. This has opened the route to extending the axiomatic information-theoretic derivation of the quantum theory of abstract systems [5, 6] to include quantum field theory. The inherent discrete nature of the informational axiomatization leads to an extension of quantum field theory to a quantum cellular automata theory, where the usual field theory is recovered in a regime where the discrete structure of the automata cannot be probed. A simple heuristic argument sets the scale of discreteness to the Planck scale, and the customary physical regime where discreteness is not visible is the relativistic one of small wavevectors.     

An axiomatic scheme more general than quantum theory

An axiomatic scheme generalizing the operational approach to quantum theory is described. Only quite general axioms ensuring the existence of well-behaved probabilities are postulated. The space-time location of macroscopic apparatus interacting with the object is explicitly taken into consideration. The states and observables are defined and their time development is considered. The classification of physical processes with respect to their reversibility or irreversibility in time is given. The conditions of Lorentz and translational invariance are formulated. Linear transformations corresponding to operations on the object are introduced. In the case of reversible processes these transformations form an algebra and linear representations of the Poincaré group arise naturally. These results are, in general, invalid for irreversible processes. The position of quantum theory in the scheme described is clarified.     

Steps Towards the Axiomatic Foundations of the Relativistic Quantum Field Theory: Spin-Statistics, Commutation Relations, and CPT Theorems

A realistic physical axiomatic approach of the relativistic quantum field theory is presented. Following the action principle of Schwinger, a covariant and general formulation is obtained. The correspondence principle is not invoked and the commutation relations are not postulated but deduced. The most important theorems such as spin-statistics, and CPT are proved. The theory is constructed form the notion of basic field and system of basic fields. In comparison with others formulations, in our realistic approach fields are regarded as real things with symmetry properties. Finally, the general structure is contrasted with other formulations.     

On the axiomatic approach to quasi-classical field theory

We study the connection between quasi-classical field theory and axiomatic statements of the quantum field theory, Schwinger source theory, and the Lehmann-Symanzik-Zimmermann (LSZ) formalism. The classical Schwinger source is connected with the classical field; the LSZ R-function is connected with the quantum field operator. The axioms of the quantum field theory are written in the context of the quasi-classical expansion. In the considered approach, the stationary action principle and canonical commutation relations for field operators are obtained as corollaries and are not postulated as initial statements of the theory.     

The noncommutative values of quantum observables

We discuss the notion of representing the values of physical quantities by the real numbers, and its limits to describe the nature to be understood in the relation to our appreciation that the quantum theory is a better theory of natural phenomena than its classical analog. Getting from the algebra of physical observables to their values for a fixed state is, at least for classical physics, really a homomorphic map from the algebra into the real number algebra. The limitation of the latter to represent the values of quantum observables with noncommutative algebraic relation is obvious. We introduce and discuss the idea of the noncommutative values of quantum observables and its feasibility, arguing that at least in terms of the representation of such a value as an infinite set of complex numbers, the idea makes reasonable sense theoretically as well as practically.     

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-set theory for bosons and fermions: Quantum distributions

Abstruct Quasi-set theory provides a mathematical background for dealing with coll ections of indistinguishable elementary particles. In this paper, we show how to obtain the quantum statistics into the scope of quasi-set theory and we also discuss the Helium atom, which represents the simplest example where indistinguishability plays an important role. One of the advantages of our approach is that one of the most basic principles of quantum theory, namely, the Indistinguishability Postulate, does not need to be assumed even implicitely in the axiomatic basis of quantum mechanics.     

Structure of reversible computation determines the self-duality of quantum theory

Predictions for measurement outcomes in physical theories are usually computed by combining two distinct notions: a state, describing the physical system, and an observable, describing the measurement which is performed. In quantum theory, however, both notions are in some sense identical: outcome probabilities are given by the overlap between two state vectors--quantum theory is self-dual. In this Letter, we show that this notion of self-duality can be understood from a dynamical point of view. We prove that self-duality follows from a computational primitive called bit symmetry: every logical bit can be mapped to any other logical bit by a reversible transformation. Specifically, we consider probabilistic theories more general than quantum theory, and prove that every bit-symmetric theory must necessarily be self-dual. We also show that bit symmetry yields stronger restrictions on the set of allowed bipartite states than the no-signalling principle alone, suggesting reversible time evolution as a possible reason for limitations of nonlocality.     

Some Remarks on Unsharp Quantum Measurements,Quantum Non-Demolition,and All That

The theory of unsharp quantum measurements is reviewed as a generalization of the von Neumann-Lüders measurement theory and applied to measurements of continuous quantities. A generalized notion of repeatability is proposed which is applicable even to intrinsically unsharp continuous observables. As an illustration a precise formulation of a quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement performed on a harmonic oscillator is given.