It is shown that the characterization of covariant positive operator measures on nonunimodular locally compact groups can be obtained by using vector measure theoretic methods, without an application of Mackey's imprimitivity theorem.
We study various optimality criteria for quantum observables. Observables are represented as covariant positive operator valued measures and we consider the case when the symmetry group is compact. Phase observables are examined as an example.
This papers is concerned with multisymplectic formalisms which are the frameworks for Hamiltonian theories for fields theory. Our main purpose is to study the observable $(n-1)$-forms which allows one to construct observable functionals on the set of solutions of the Hamilton equations by integration. We develop here two different points of view: generalizing the law $\{p,q\} = 1$ or the law $dF/dt = \{H,F\}$. This leads to two possible definitions; we explore the relationships and the differences between these two concepts. We show that -- in contrast with the de Donder--Weyl theory -- the tw…
We derive for generally covariant theories the generic dependency of observables on the original fields, corresponding to coordinate-dependent gauge fixings. This gauge choice is equivalent to a choice of intrinsically defined coordinates accomplished with the aid of spacetime scalar fields. With our approach we make full contact with, and give a new perspective to, the "evolving constants of motion" program. We are able to directly derive generic properties of observables, especially their dynamics and their Poisson algebra in terms of Dirac brackets, extending earlier results in the literatu…
We discuss symmetric quantum measurements and the associated covariant observables modelled, respectively, as instruments and positive-operator-valued measures. The emphasis of this work are the optimality properties of the measurements, namely, extremality, informational completeness, and the rank-1 property which contrast the complementary class of (rank-1) projection-valued measures. The first half of this work concentrates solely on finite-outcome measurements symmetric w.r.t. finite groups where we derive exhaustive characterizations for the pointwise Kraus-operators of covariant instrume…
A covariant phase space observable is uniquely characterized by a positive operator of trace one and, in turn, by the Fourier-Weyl transform of this operator. We study three properties of such observables, and characterize them in terms of the zero set of this transform. The first is informational completeness, for which it is necessary and sufficient that the zero set has dense complement. The second is a version of informational completeness for the Hilbert-Schmidt class, equivalent to the zero set being of measure zero, and the third, known as regularity, is equivalent to the zero set being…
Motivated by DeWitt's viewpoint of covariant field theory, we define a general notion of non-local classical observable that applies to many physical lagrangian systems (with bosonic and fermionic variables), by using methods that are now standard in algebraic geometry. We review the (standard) methods of local functional calculus, as they are presented by Beilinson and Drinfeld, and relate them to our construction. We partially explain the relation of these with the Vinogradov's secondary calculus. The methods present here are all necessary to understand mathematically properly and with simpl…
Perturbative algebraic quantum field theory (pAQFT) is a mathematically rigorous framework that allows to construct models of quantum field theories on a general class of Lorentzian manifolds. Recently this idea has been applied also to perturbative quantum gravity, treated as an effective theory. The difficulty was to find the right notion of observables that would in an appropriate sense be diffeomorphism invariant. In this article I will outline a general framework that allows to quantize theories with local symmetries (this includes infinitesimal diffeomorphism transformations) with the us…
We present a unified treatment of sequential measurements of two conjugate observables. Our approach is to derive a mathematical structure theorem for all the relevant covariant instruments. As a consequence of this result, we show that every Weyl-Heisenberg covariant observable can be implemented as a sequential measurement of two conjugate observables. This method is applicable both in finite and infinite dimensional Hilbert spaces, therefore covering sequential spin component measurements as well as position-momentum sequential measurements.
We show that the space of observables of test particles carries a natural Jacobi structure which is manifestly invariant under the action of the Poincaré group. Poisson algebras may be obtained by imposing further requirements. A generalization of Peierls procedure is used to extend this Jacobi bracket on the space of time-like geodesics on Minkowski space-time.
Observable currents are locally defined gauge invariant conserved currents; physical observables may be calculated integrating them on appropriate hypersurfaces. Due to the conservation law the hypersurfaces become irrelevant up to homology, and the main objects of interest become the observable currents them selves. Gauge inequivalent solutions can be distinguished by means of observable currents. With the aim of modeling spacetime local physics, we work on spacetime domains $U\subset M$ which may have boundaries and corners. Hamiltonian observable currents are those satisfying ${\sf d_v}F=-ι…
We propose and develop a measurement scheme for quantum field theory (QFT) in curved spacetimes, in which the QFT of interest, the "system", is dynamically coupled to another, the "probe", in a compact spacetime region. Measurements of observables in the probe system then serve as proxy measurements of observables in the system, under a correspondence which depends also on a preparation state of the probe theory. All our constructions are local and covariant, and the conditions may be stated abstractly in the framework of algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT). The induced system observables co…
Time-independent gauge transformations are implemented in the canonical formalism by the Gauss law which is not covariant. The covariant form of Gauss law is conceptually important for studying asymptotic properties of the gauge fields. For QED in $3+1$ dimensions, we have developed a formalism for treating the equations of motion (EOM) themselves as constraints, that is, constraints on states using Peierls' quantization. They generate spacetime dependent gauge transformations. We extend these results to the Maxwell-Chern-Simons (MCS) Lagrangian. The surprising result is that the covariant Gau…
We describe the free Dirac field in a four dimensional spacetime as a locally covariant quantum field theory in the sense of Brunetti, Fredenhagen and Verch, using a representation independent construction. The freedom in the geometric constructions involved can be encoded in terms of the cohomology of the category of spin spacetimes. If we restrict ourselves to the observable algebra the cohomological obstructions vanish and the theory is unique. We establish some basic properties of the theory and discuss the class of Hadamard states, filling some technical gaps in the literature. Finally we…
Given a topological group $G$ and a unitary representation $U$ of $G$, we consider the problem of classifying the positive operator measures which are based on a $G$-homogeneous space $X$ and covariant with respect to the representation $U$. We completely solve the problem in two cases: 1) when $G$ is abelian; 2) when $G$ is not abelian, $X$ has compact stbiliser in $G$ and the representation $U$ is irreducible. We then give an application of the above results to the characterisation of covariant position and momentum observables in quantum mechanics, and to the determination of those covarian…
The first part of the series formulates the Einstein-Cartan theory in the covariant hamiltonian framework. The first section revises the general multisymplectic approach and introduces the notion of the d-jet bundles. Since the whole Standard Model Lagrangian (including gravity) can be written as the functional of the forms, the structure of the d-jet bundles is more appropriate for the covariant hamiltonian analysis than the standard jet bundle approach. The definition of the local covariant Poisson bracket on the space of covariant observables is recalled. The main goal of the work is to sho…
Finite renormalization freedom in locally covariant quantum field theories on curved spacetime is known to be tightly constrained, under certain standard hypotheses, to the same terms as in flat spacetime up to finitely many curvature dependent terms. These hypotheses include, in particular, locality, covariance, scaling, microlocal regularity and continuous and analytic dependence on the metric and coupling parameters. The analytic dependence hypothesis is somewhat unnatural, because it requires that locally covariant observables (which are simultaneously defined on all spacetimes) depend con…
We classify Haag-dual Poincaré covariant subsystems $\B\subset \F$ of a graded-local net $\F$ on 4D Minkowski spacetime which satisfies standard assumptions and has trivial superselection structure. The result applies to the canonical field net $\F_\A$ of a net $\A$ of local observables satisfying natural assumptions. As a consequence, provided that it has no nontrivial internal symmetries, such an observable net $\A$ is generated by (the abstract versions of) the local energy-momentum tensor density and the observable local gauge currents which appear in the algebraic formulation of the quant…
Various definitions of chiral observables in a given Moebius covariant two-dimensional theory are shown to be equivalent. Their representation theory in the vacuum Hilbert space of the 2D theory is studied. It shares the general characteristics of modular invariant partition functions, although SL(2,Z) transformation properties are not assumed. First steps towards classification are made.
In this manuscript we present a calculation of a physical observable in a non-perturbative quantum gravitational physical process from covariant Loop Quantum Gravity. The process regards the transition of a trapped region to an anti--trapped region, treated as a quantum geometry transition akin to gravitational tunneling. Figuratively speaking, this is a quantum transition of a black hole to a white hole. The physical observables are the characteristic timescales in which the process takes place. After an introduction, we begin with two chapters that review, define and extend main tools releva…
We present an operationally motivated treatment of quantum reference frames in the setting that the frame is a covariant positive operator valued measure (POVM) on a finite homogeneous space, generalising the principal homogeneous spaces studied in previous work. We focus on the case that the reference observable is the canonical covariant projection valued measure on the given space, and show that this gives rise to a rank-one covariant POVM on the group, which can be seen as a system of coherent states, thereby making contact with recent work in the perspective-neutral approach to quantum re…
We present a correspondence between positive operator valued measures (POVMs) and sets of generalized coherent states. Positive operator valued measures describe quantum observables and, similarly to quantum states, also quantum observables can be mixed. We show how the formalism of generalized coherent states leads to a useful characterization of extremal POVMs. We prove that covariant phase space observables related to squeezed states are extremal, while the ones related to number states are not extremal.
The goal of this work, motivated by the desire to understand causality in classical and quantum gravity, is an in depth investigation of causality in classical field theories with quasilinear equations of motion, of which General Relativity is a prominent example. Several modern geometric tools (jet bundle formulation of partial differential equations (PDEs), the theory of symmetric hyperbolic PDE systems, covariant constructions of symplectic and Poisson structures) and applies them to the construction of the phase space and the algebra of observables of quasilinear classical field theories. …