Comprehensive solution to the cosmological constant,zero-point energy,and quantum gravity problems

We present a solution to the cosmological constant, the zero-point energy, and the quantum gravity problems within a single comprehensive framework. We show that in quantum theories of gravity in which the zero-point energy density of the gravitational field is well-defined, the cosmological constant and zero-point energy problems solve each other by mutual cancellation between the cosmological constant and the matter and gravitational field zero-point energy densities. Because of this cancellation, regulation of the matter field zero-point energy density is not needed, and thus does not cause any trace anomaly to arise. We exhibit our results in two theories of gravity that are well-defined quantum-mechanically. Both of these theories are locally conformal invariant, quantum Einstein gravity in two dimensions and Weyl-tensor-based quantum conformal gravity in four dimensions (a fourth-order derivative quantum theory of the type that Bender and Mannheim have recently shown to be ghost-free and unitary). Central to our approach is the requirement that any and all departures of the geometry from Minkowski are to be brought about by quantum mechanics alone. Consequently, there have to be no fundamental classical fields, and all mass scales have to be generated by dynamical condensates. In such a situation the trace of the matter field energy-momentum tensor is zero, a constraint that obliges its cosmological constant and zero-point contributions to cancel each other identically, no matter how large they might be. In our approach quantization of the gravitational field is caused by its coupling to quantized matter fields, with the gravitational field not needing any independent quantization of its own. With there being no a priori classical curvature, one does not have to make it compatible with quantization.     

On the Mean Field Equations of Motion in the Theories with Unstable Vacuum

The problem of finding the mean field equations of motion in the theories with unstable vacuum is considered. The one- and two-loop quantum corrections to classical equations of motion are obtained. It is shown that these quantum corrections are real and causal.     

Partial-state formalism and the object-subject split in quantum mechanics

A suitable general statistical framework is established by taking quantum mechanics as full, and other (state-distinguishing) statistical theories as partial theories with respect to a given relevant subset of observables. The partial theory exists and is unique up to equivalence. The choice of the simplest or canonical one is determined. The recently introduced hybrid, i.e., half quantum mechanical and half classical discrete, statistical states obtain thus their rightful place in a hierarchy of relevant quantum statistical theories. On the other hand, these states are shown to represent a derivation of the quantum object-subject split with a well-defined subject that encompasses preparator or measuring instrument in a natural way.     

Probability and logical structure of statistical theories

A characterization of statistical theories is given which incorporates both classical and quantum mechanics. It is shown that each statistical theory induces an associated logic and joint probability structure, and simple conditions are given for the structure to be of a classical or quantum type. This provides an alternative for the quantum logic approach to axiomatic quantum mechanics. The Bell inequalities may be derived for those statistical theories that have a classical structure and satisfy a locality condition weaker than factorizability. The relation of these inequalities to the issue of hidden variable theories for quantum mechanics is discussed and clarified.     

Superspace,dimensional reduction,and stochastic quantization

The equivalence between a 6-dimensional stochastic classical scalar field theory and the corresponding 4-dimensional quantum field theory has been shown to stem from a hidden supersymmetry of the former. This has led to a formulation of quantum field theory in a superspace of 6 commuting and 2 anticommuting dimensions. We study gauge and spinor field theories defined on this superspace, showing that the dimensional reduction is a consequence of the geometry of the superspace, and that the stochastic formalism for gauge theories is a natural consequence of the structure of the superspace theory. This allows us to extend the stochastic formalism to include spinors.     

Quantum-optical predictions for an experiment on the de Broglie waves detection

An experimental apparatus to detect de Broglie waves is discussed. The wave packets of two photons generated in the parametric-down conversion are overlapped in a modified Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The coincidence photodetection rate of photon pairs is evaluated, as a function of path-length of two interferometer arms, both by using the de Broglie concept of a real quantum wave and by the quantum optical approach. The different results of these two theories are compared, and it is shown that the proposed experiment can disprove either the theories.     

Construction of a selfadjoint,strictly positive transfer matrix for Euclidean lattice gauge theories

It is shown that physical positivity holds in Wilson's lattice gauge theories, i.e. transition probabilities between gauge invariant states are non-negative and the quantum mechanical Hamiltonian has real eigenvalues only.     

Warped Convolutions,Rieffel Deformations and the Construction of Quantum Field Theories

Warped convolutions of operators were recently introduced in the algebraic framework of quantum physics as a new constructive tool. It is shown here that these convolutions provide isometric representations of Rieffel’s strict deformations of C ^*–dynamical systems with automorphic actions of \mathbb Rⁿ{\mathbb R^n} , whenever the latter are presented in a covariant representation. Moreover, the device can be used for the deformation of relativistic quantum field theories by adjusting the convolutions to the geometry of Minkowski space. The resulting deformed theories still comply with pertinent physical principles and their Tomita–Takesaki modular data coincide with those of the undeformed theory; but they are in general inequivalent to the undeformed theory and exhibit different physical interpretations.     

Physical uniformities on the state space of nonrelativisitic quantum mechanics

Uniformities describing the distinguishability of states and of observables are discussed in the context of general statistical theories and are shown to be related to distinguished subspaces of continuous observables and states, respectively. The usual formalism of quantum mechanics contains no such physical uniformity for states. Using recently developed tools of quantum harmonic analysis, a natural one-to-one correspondence between continuous subspaces of nonrelativistic quantum and classical mechanics is established, thus exhibiting a close interrelation between physical uniformities for quantum states and compactifications of phase space. General properties of the completions of the quantum state space with respect to these uniformities are discussed.     

Quantum theory as a theory in a classical propositional calculus

Classical logic and Boolean algebras are, of course, very intimately related. It is, however, possible to show that lattices of propositions isomorphic to the lattice of all the closed subspaces of a separable Hilbert space arise quite naturally within the classical propositional logic. This was first shown by the author in 1987 in connection with a certain type of theories calledtheories with orthocomplementation. These theories are not easy to interpret physically and it is shown that simpler theories, which are more amenable to physical interpretation, can also be used. It is then possible to assume that quantum theory is such a theory and, as a result, to formulate a new approach that provides a way of looking at the wave-particle duality and touches upon the foundations of quantum field theory.     

On the Equivalence of Two Deformation Schemes in Quantum Field Theory

Two recent deformation schemes for quantum field theories on two-dimensional Minkowski space, making use of deformed field operators and Longo–Witten endomorphisms, respectively, are shown to be equivalent.     

Dimensional reduction of symmetries

It has been shown that ordinary (d−2)-dimensional quantum field theories are equivalent to corresponding quantum field theories defined on a (d+2)-dimensional superspace with two anticommuting variables. This dimensional reduction is a consequence of superrotation invariance in the superspace. In this letter we study general conformal transformations in the superspace and the properties of field theories which are invariant under such transformations. We show that the symmetries are dimensionally reduced.     

Once again on the equivalence theorem

The equivalence theorem in quantum field theory is proven on the basis of the field-antifield formalism. It is shown that the equivalence theorem does not contradict the well-known fact that, in quantum theory, some symmetries of the classical action functional are broken (anomalous). By way of example, a model is considered where natural finite counterterms can be chosen in different ways leading to physically nonequivalent quantum theories, but where the equivalence theorem remains valid.     

Objectivity,nonlocality, and the Bell inequalities

It is argued that the Bell inequalities are not a specific feature of local hidden variables theories, but obtain both for local and nonlocal theories that are objectivistic. A nonobjectivistic theory is constructed reproducing the quantum mechanical correlations obtained in realisations of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm experiment.     

Asymptotic Completeness in a Class of Massless Relativistic Quantum Field Theories

This paper presents the first examples of massless relativistic quantum field theories which are interacting and asymptotically complete. These two-dimensional theories are obtained by an application of a deformation procedure, introduced recently by Grosse and Lechner, to chiral conformal quantum field theories. The resulting models may not be strictly local, but they contain observables localized in spacelike wedges. It is shown that the scattering theory for waves in two dimensions, due to Buchholz, is still valid under these weaker assumptions. The concepts of interaction and asymptotic completeness, provided by this theory, are adopted in the present investigation.     

Axioms for quantum theory

The first three of these axioms describe quantum theory and classical mechanics as statistical theories from the very beginning. With these, it can be shown in which sense a more general than the conventional measure theoretic probability theory is used in quantum theory. One gets this generalization defining transition probabilities on pairs of events (not sets of pairs) as a fundamental, not derived, concept. A comparison with standard theories of stochastic processes gives a very general formulation of the non existence of quantum theories with hidden variables. The Cartesian product of probability spaces can be given a natural algebraic structure, the structure of an orthocomplemented, orthomodular, quasi-modular, not modular, not distributive lattice, which can be compared with the quantum logic (lattice of all closed subspaces of an infinite dimensional Hubert space). It is shown how our given system of axioms suggests generalized quantum theories, especially Schrödinger equations, for phase space amplitudes.     

Quantum theory in external electromagnetic and gravitational fields: A comparison of some conceptual issues

The quantum theories of a scalar field interacting with external electromagnetic and gravitational fields respectively are compared. It is shown that several peculiar features, like the ambiguity of particle definition, thermal effects etc., which are thought to be special to quantum theory in curved spacetime, have analogues in the case of electromagnetism.