We have previously shown (arXiv:1912.00033) that three approaches to relational quantum dynamics -- relational Dirac observables, the Page-Wootters formalism and quantum deparametrizations -- are equivalent. Here we show that this `trinity' of relational quantum dynamics holds in relativistic settings per frequency superselection sector. We ascribe the time according to the clock subsystem to a POVM which is covariant with respect to its (quadratic) Hamiltonian. This differs from the usual choice of a self-adjoint clock observable conjugate to the clock momentum. It also resolves Kuchař's criticism that the Page-Wootters formalism yields incorrect localization probabilities for the relativistic particle when conditioning on a Minkowski time operator. We show that conditioning instead on the covariant clock POVM results in a Newton-Wigner type localization probability commonly used in relativistic quantum mechanics. By establishing the equivalence mentioned above, we also assign a consistent conditional-probability interpretation to relational observables and deparametrizations. Finally, we expand a recent method of changing temporal reference frames, and show how to transform states and observables frequency-sector-wise. We use this method to discuss an indirect clock self-reference effect and explore the state and temporal frame-dependence of the task of comparing and synchronizing different quantum clocks.
Up to now it has been impossible to find a realistic interpretation for the reduction process in relativistic quantum mechanics. The basic problem is the dependence of the states on the frame within which collapse takes place. A suitable use of the causal structure of the devices involved in the measurement process allows us to introduce a covariant notion for the collapse of quantum states.
The problem of time in quantum gravity calls for a relational solution. Using quantum reduction maps, we establish a previously unknown equivalence between three approaches to relational quantum dynamics: 1) relational observables in the clock-neutral picture of Dirac quantization, 2) Page and Wootters' (PW) Schrödinger picture formalism, and 3) the relational Heisenberg picture obtained via symmetry reduction. Constituting three faces of the same dynamics, we call this equivalence the trinity. We develop a quantization procedure for relational Dirac observables using covariant POVMs which enc…
A non-canonical correspondence of the complete sets of solutions to the Dirac and Klein-Gordon free equations in Minkowski space-time is established. This allows for a novel viewpoint on the relationship of relativistic equations for different spins and on the origin of spinor transformations. In particular, starting from a solution to the Dirac equation, one obtains a chain of other solutions to both Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations. A comparison with the massless case is performed, and examples of non-trivial singular solutions are presented. A generalization to Riemannian space-time and inc…
This paper concerns relational first principles from which the Dirac procedure exhaustively picks out the geometrodynamics corresponding to general relativity as one of a handful of consistent theories. This was accompanied by a number of results and conjectures about matter theories and general features of physics -- such as gauge theory, the universal light cone principle of special relativity and the equivalence principle -- being likewise picked out. I have previously shown that many of these matter results and conjectures are contingent on further unrelational simplicity assumptions. In t…
On incorporating special relativity theory into an extended equivalence principle, post-Newtonian gravitational phenomena beyond that originally predicted by Einstein are predicted (required), such as geodetic and gravitomagnetic precessions of local inertial frames, and precession of Mercury's orbital perihelion. Why were not these phenomena predicted in the years 1907-1911? The unique 1/c^2 order dynamical equations for clock rates and motion of both bodies and light in local gravity are derived which guarantee fulfillment of the special relativistic equivalence principle.
We describe a geometric and symmetry-based formulation of the equivalence principle in non-relativistic physics. It applies both on the classical and quantum levels and states that the Newtonian potential can be eliminated in favor of a curved and time-dependent spatial metric. It is this requirement that forces the gravitational mass to be equal to the inertial mass. We identify the symmetry responsible for the equivalence principle as the remnant of time-reparameterization symmetry of the relativistic theory. We also clarify the transformation properties of the Schroedinger wave-function und…
On the (Non)Unitarity with respect to the Clock of a Dynamical Local Observer and the Einstein Equivalence Principle
Center for Gravitational Physics and Quantum Information, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University（京都大学汤川理论物理研究所引力物理与量子信息中心）；Fundamental Quantum Science Program, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN（理化学研究所TRIP总部基础量子科学计划）
In Lorentz-Finsler geometry it is natural to define the Finsler Lagrangian over a cone (Asanov's approach) or over the whole slit tangent bundle (Beem's approach). In the former case one might want to add differentiability conditions at the boundary of the (timelike) cone in order to retain the usual definition of lightlike geodesics. It is shown here that if this is done then the two theories coincide, namely the `conic' Finsler Lagrangian is the restriction of a slit tangent bundle Lagrangian. Since causality theory depends on curves defined through the future cone, this work establishes the…
Using a novel approach, we work out the general relativistic effects on the quantum interference of de Broglie waves associated with thermal neutrons. The unified general formula is consistent with special relativistic results in the flat space limit. It is also shown that the exact geodesic equation contains in a natural way a gravitational analog of the Aharonov-Bohm effect. We work out two examples, one in general relativity and the other in heterotic string theory, in order to obtain the first order gravitational correction terms to the quantum fringe shift. Measurement of these terms is c…
The Newtonian approximation for the gravitational field equation should not necessarily involve admission of non-relativistic properties of the source terms in Einstein's equations: it is sufficient to merely consider the weak-field condition for gravitational field. When a source has electromagnetic nature, one simply {\em cannot} ignore its intrinsically relativistic properties, since there cannot be invented any non-relativistic approximation which would describe electromagnetic stress-energy tensor adequately, even at large distances where the fields become naturally weak. But the test par…
We discuss the non-relativistic limit of quantum field theory in an inertial frame, in the Rindler frame and in the presence of a weak gravitational field, highlighting and clarifying several subtleties. We study the following topics: (a) While the action for a relativistic free particle is invariant under the Lorentz transformation, the corresponding action for a non-relativistic free particle is not invariant under the Galilean transformation, but picks up extra contributions at the end points. This leads to an extra phase in the non-relativistic wave function under a Galilean transformation…
In general relativity, `causal structure' refers to the partial order on space-time points (or regions) that encodes time-like relationships. Recently, quantum information and quantum foundations saw the emergence of a `causality principle'. In the form used in this paper, which we call `process terminality', it states that when the output of a process is discarded, then the process itself may as well be discarded. While causal structure and process terminality at first seem to be entirely different notions, they become equivalent when making explicit what the partial order actually encodes, t…
We have recently argued that if one introduces a relational time in quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, the resulting quantum theory is such that pure states evolve into mixed states. The rate at which states decohere depends on the energy of the states. There is therefore the question of how this can be reconciled with Galilean invariance. More generally, since the relational description is based on objects that are not Dirac observables, the issue of covariance is of importance in the formalism as a whole. In this note we work out an explicit example of a totally constrained, generally co…
The weak equivalence principle is one of the cornerstone of general relativity. Its validity has been tested with impressive precision in the Solar System, with experiments involving baryonic matter and light. However, on cosmological scales and when dark matter is concerned, the validity of this principle is still unknown. In this paper we construct a null test that probes the validity of the equivalence principle for dark matter. Our test has the strong advantage that it can be applied on data without relying on any modelling of the theory of gravity. It involves a combination of redshift-sp…
Gravitationally bound neutrons have become an important tool in the experimental searches for new physics, such as modifications to Newton's force or candidates for dark matter particles. Here we include the relativistic effects of mass-energy equivalence into the model of gravitationally bound neutrons. Specifically, we investigate a correction in a gravitationally bound neutron's Hamiltonian due to the presence of an external magnetic field. We show that the neutron's additional weight due to mass-energy equivalence will cause a small shift in the neutron's eigenenergies and eigenstates, and…
We have recently introduced a realistic, covariant, interpretation for the reduction process in relativistic quantum mechanics. The basic problem for a covariant description is the dependence of the states on the frame within which collapse takes place. A suitable use of the causal structure of the devices involved in the measurement process allowed us to introduce a covariant notion for the collapse of quantum states. However, a fully consistent description in the relativistic domain requires the extension of the interpretation to quantum fields. The extension is far from straightforward. Bes…
A brief summary of the objections to the relational nature of inertial mass, gravitational mass and electric charge is presented. The objections are refuted by showing that the measurement process of comparing an instrument reference clock and a reference rod both obeying the laws of physics to a system obeying the same laws of physics results in relational quantities: inertial mass, gravitational mass and electric charge appear only as ratios. This means that scaling of the absolute inertial mass of every object in the universe by the same factor is unobservable (likewise for gravitational ma…
The Universality of Free Fall and the Weak Equivalence Principle, which are at the basis of General Relativity, have been confirmed to 1 part in 10^13. Space experiments with macroscopic test masses of different composition orbiting the Earth inside a low altitude satellite aim at improving this precision by two orders of magnitude (with the Microscope satellite, launched on 25 April 2016) and up to four orders of magnitude (with the 'Galileo Galilei' - GG satellite). At such a high precision many tiny effects must be taken into account in order to be ruled out as the source of a spurious viol…
Every clock is a physical system and thereby ultimately quantum. A naturally arising question is how to describe time evolution relative to quantum clocks and, specifically, how the dynamics relative to different quantum clocks are related. This is a pressing issue in view of the multiple choice problem of time in quantum gravity, which posits that there is no distinguished choice of internal clock in generic general relativistic systems and that different choices lead to inequivalent quantum theories. Exploiting a recent approach to switching quantum reference systems (arXiv:1809.00556, arXiv…
We analize the relational quantum evolution of generally covariant systems in terms of Rovelli's evolving constants of motion and the generalized Heisenberg picture. In order to have a well defined evolution, and a consistent quantum theory, evolving constants must be self-adjoint operators. We show that this condition imposes strong restrictions to the choices of the clock variables. We analize four cases. The first one is non- relativistic quantum mechanics in parametrized form. We show that, for the free particle case, the standard choice of time is the only one leading to self-adjoint evol…
We use covariant techniques to examine the implications of the dynamical equivalence between geodesic motions and adiabatic hydrodynamic flows. Assuming that the metrics of a geodesically and a non-geodesically moving fluid are conformally related, we calculate and compare their mass densities. The density difference is then expressed in terms of the fundamental physical quantities of the fluid, such as its energy and isotropic pressure. Both the relativistic and the non-relativistic case are examined and their differences identified. Our analysis suggests that observational determinations of …
This paper deals with the concept of simultaneity in classical and relativistic physics as construed in terms of group-invariant equivalence relations. A full examination of Newton, Galilei and Poincaré invariant equivalence relations in $\R^4$ is presented, which provides alternative proofs, additions and occasionally corrections of results in the literature, including Malament's theorem and some of its variants. It is argued that the interpretation of simultaneity as an invariant equivalence relation, although interesting for its own sake, does not cut in the debate concerning the convention…
We describe an extension of the Keldysh method for fermions from constant temperature to steady state case with spatially varying temperature field.This is done with the use on the imaginary section of the Keldysh path of a thermal Hamiltonian obtained from the zero temperature relativistic Hamiltonian by coupling its density multiplicatively to the temperature field. We show that the two Hamiltonians commute, provided appropriate boundary conditions are imposed. A microscopical equation on the temperature field and the corresponding microscopical Fourier law of heat transfer are derived for t…
The S-Stars in the Galactic-center region are found to be on near-perfect Keplerian orbits around presumably a supermassive black hole, with periods of 15-50 yr. Since these stars reach a few percent of light speed at pericenter, various relativistic effects are expected, and have been discussed in the literature. We argue that an elegant test of the Einstein equivalence principle should be possible with existing instruments, through spectroscopic monitoring of an S-star concentrated during the months around pericenter, supplemented with an already-adequate astrometric determination of the inc…
This article contains a local solution to the notorious Problem of Time in Quantum Gravity at the conceptual level and which is actually realizable for the relational triangle. The Problem of Time is that `time' in GR and `time' in ordinary quantum theory are mutually incompatible notions, which is problematic in trying to put these two theories together to form a theory of Quantum Gravity. Four frontiers to this resolution in full GR are identified, alongside three further directions not yet conquered even for the relational triangle. This article is also the definitive review on relational p…
The Mössbauer rotor effect recently gained a renewed interest due to the discovery and explanation of an additional effect of clock synchronization which has been missed for about 50 years, i.e. starting from a famous book of Pauli, till some recent experimental analyses. The theoretical explanation of such an additional effect is due to some recent papers in both the general relativistic and the special relativistic frameworks. In the first case (general relativistic framework) the key point of the approach is the Einstein's equivalence principle (EEP), which, in the words of the same Einstei…
It has been recently shown (Mitra,- astro-ph/9910408, astro-ph/0207056) that the timelike spherical collapse of a radiating, physical fluid in General Relativity, as seen by an interior co-moving observer at rest in the physical fluid, does not permit formation of ``trapped surfaces''. This followed from the fact that the formation of a trapped surface in a physical fluid would cause the timelike world lines of the collapsing fluid to become null at the would be trapped surface, thus violating the Principle of Equivalence in General Theory of Relativity. In this paper we generalize and extend …
The Sagnac effect is usually considered as being a relativistic effect produced in an interferometer when the device is rotating. General relativistic explanations are known and already widely explained in many papers. Such general relativistic approaches are founded on Einstein's equivalence principle (EEP), which states the equivalence between the gravitational "force" and the pseudo-force experienced by an observer in a non-inertial frame of reference, included a rotating observer. Typically, the authors consider the so-called Langevin-Landau-Lifschitz metric and the path of light is determ…
The equivalence principle, that is one of the main pillars of general relativity, is very well tested in the Solar system; however, its validity is more uncertain on cosmological scales, or when dark matter is concerned. This article shows that relativistic effects in the large-scale structure can be used to directly test whether dark matter satisfies Euler's equation, i.e. whether its free fall is characterised by geodesic motion, just like baryons and light. After having proposed a general parametrisation for deviations from Euler's equation, we perform Fisher-matrix forecasts for future sur…
We define passive gravitational mass operator of the simplest composite quantum body - a hydrogen atom - to be proportional to its weight operator in a weak gravitational field. Although it does not commute with energy operator, taken in the absence of the field, the equivalence between the expectation value of passive gravitational mass and energy is shown to survive for stationary quantum states. All the so-called relativistic corrections to electron energy in a hydrogen atom are taken into account in the calculations.
The role of the equivalence principle in the context of non-relativistic quantum mechanics and matter wave interferometry, especially atom beam interferometry, will be discussed. A generalised form of the weak equivalence principle which is capable of covering quantum phenomena too, will be proposed. It is shown that this generalised equivalence principle is valid for matter wave interferometry and for the dynamics of expectation values. In addition, the use of this equivalence principle makes it possible to determine the structure of the interaction of quantum systems with gravitational and i…
General Relativity on closed spatial topologies can be derived, using a technique called "best-matching", as an evolving 3-geometry subject to constraints. These constraints can be thought of as a way of imposing temporal and spatial relationalism. The same type of constraints can be used in non-relativistic particle models to produce relational theories that suffer from the same Problem of Time as that encountered in General Relativity. As a result, these simple toy models are well suited for studying the Problem of Time in quantum gravity. In this paper, a version of these particle models is…
