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arXiv:2304.02133 · Letters in Mathematical Physics

On the relativistic spatial localization for massive real scalar Klein–Gordon quantum particles

Valter Moretti

Published Jun 7, 2023• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract I rigorously analyze a proposal, introduced by D.R. Terno, about a spatial localization observable for a Klein–Gordon massive real particle in terms of a Poincaré-covariant family of POVMs. I prove that these POVMs are actually a kinematic deformation of the Newton–Wigner PVMs. The first moment of one of these POVMs, however, exactly coincides with a restriction (on a core) of the Newton–Wigner self-adjoint position operator, though the second moment does not. This fact permits to preserve all nice properties of the Newton–Wigner position observable, dropping the unphysical features arising from the Hegerfeldt theorem. The considered POVM does not permit spatially sharply localized states, but it admits families of almost localized states with arbitrary precision. Next, I establish that the Terno localization observable satisfies part of a requirement introduced by D.P.L. Castrigiano about causal temporal evolution concerning the Lebesgue measurable spatial regions of any Minkowskian reference frame. The validity of the complete Castrigiano’s causality requirement is also proved for a notion of spatial localization which generalizes Terno’s one in a natural way.

DOI
10.1007/s11005-023-01689-5

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Abstract I rigorously analyze a proposal, introduced by D.R. Terno, about a spatial localization observable for a Klein–Gordon massive real particle in terms of a Poincaré-covariant family of POVMs. I prove that these POVMs are actually a kinematic deformation of the Newton–Wigner PVMs. The first moment of one of these POVMs, however, exactly coincides with a restriction (on a core) of the Newton–Wigner self-adjoint position operator, though the second moment does not. This fact permits to preserve all nice properties of the Newton–Wigner position observable, dropping the unphysical features arising from the Hegerfeldt theorem. The considered POVM does not permit spatially sharply localized states, but it admits families of almost localized states with arbitrary precision. Next, I establish that the Terno localization observable satisfies part of a requirement introduced by D.P.L. Castrigiano about causal temporal evolution concerning the Lebesgue measurable spatial regions of any Minkowskian reference frame. The validity of the complete Castrigiano’s causality requirement is also proved for a notion of spatial localization which generalizes Terno’s one in a natural way.
Abstract We introduce and study a general notion of spatial localization on spacelike smooth Cauchy surfaces of quantum systems in Minkowski spacetime. The notion is constructed in terms of a coherent family of normalized POVMs, one for each said Cauchy surface. We prove that a family of POVMs of this type automatically satisfies a causality condition which generalizes Castrigiano’s one and implies it when restricting to flat spacelike Cauchy surfaces. As a consequence, no conflict with Hegerfeldt’s theorem arises. We furthermore prove that such families of POVMs do exist for massive Klein–Gordon particles, since some of them are extensions of already known spatial localization observables. These are constructed out of positive definite kernels or are defined in terms of the stress–energy tensor operator. Some further features of these structures are investigated, in particular the relation with the triple of Newton–Wigner selfadjoint operators and a modified form of Heisenberg inequality in the rest 3-spaces of Minkowski reference frames.
This paper is the second and final part of a two-part study. We construct positive-energy relativistic spatial localization observables in Minkowski spacetime within standard quantum field theory, using the stress--energy--momentum tensor smeared with suitable test functions. For each fixed timelike direction, the construction gives positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) on spacelike hypersurfaces, well defined on every nnn-particle sector and satisfying a relativistic causality condition excluding superluminal propagation of detection probabilities. The observables are built from local or quasi-local field-theoretic quantities, thus providing a rigorous version of earlier heuristic proposals. In the one-particle sector, the construction reduces to the observable previously introduced by the author, and its first moment gives the Newton--Wigner position operator under appropriate normalization and centering assumptions. Because the Reeh--Schlieder theorem prevents the normally ordered stress--energy--momentum tensor from being positive on the full Fock space, we use quantum energy inequalities to obtain lower bounds controlling deviations from positivity. This leads to regularized operator families, bounded from below, which approximate the localization effects. Finally, we define conditional localization observables for finite laboratories through modified local energy operators. By Haag duality, the corresponding conditional POVMs belong to local von Neumann algebras and commute for causally separated regions, in accordance with the Araki--Haag--Kastler framework. The results show how commutativity of localization observables is recovered for conditional measurements in finite spacetime regions.
Although the concept of localization in non-relativistic quantum mechanics is mathematically well-defined there is no obvious and unambiguous way to generalize it to relativistic quantum theory. After a brief review of localization in quantum mechanics the Newton-Wigner localization scheme is introduced and it is shown by the example of a massive spinless system how it leads to a position operator with seemingly unphysical properties. This motivated the development of several theorems which claim to rule out the existence of localizable particles. A particularly important one of them is presented and its validity discussed. In the last section however it is shown that if localization is considered with respect to spacelike hyperplanes, the properties of the Newton-Wigner position operators are not necessarily unphysical and localizable particles can exist.
Quantum-mechanical observables for spatial and spacetime localization are considered from a lattice-theoretic perspective. It is shown that when replacing the lattice of all complex orthogonal projections underlying the Born rule by the lattice of real linear projections with symplectic complementation, the well-known No-Go theorems of Hegerfeldt and Malament no longer apply: Causal and Poincaré covariant localization observables exist. In this setting, several features of quantum field theory, such as Lorentz symmetry and modular localization, emerge automatically. In the case of a particle described by a massive positive energy representation of the Poincaré group, the Brunetti-Guido-Longo map defines a spacetime localization observable that is unique under some natural further assumptions. Regarding possible probabilistic interpretations of such a structure, a Gleason theorem and a cluster theorem for symplectic complements are established. These imply that evaluating such localization observables in states yields a fuzzy probability measure that fails to be a measure because it is not additive. However, for separation scales that are large in comparison to the Compton wavelength, the emerging modular localization picture is essentially additive and approximates the one of Newton-Wigner.
Abstract This communication presents a comprehensive framework for constructing a notion of covariant achronal localizations for relativistic quantum systems from conserved currents, based on the works by D. Castrigiano, by the authors of this communication and a further work arising from their recent collaboration. The approach requires and provides an extension of the divergence theorem to open sets with almost Lipschitz boundary. Building upon prior results on localization on spacelike Cauchy surfaces, the construction is extended to arbitrary achronal sets. Applying this method to probability density currents with causal kernel for the massive scalar boson yields the first explicit covariant representation of the causal logic for an elementary system with definite mass. A parallel construction derives from the stress-energy tensor. The results establish a rigorous, causality-respecting notion of localization fulfilling the foundational spirit of quantum theory.
Abstract The positive operator-valued localizations (POL) of a massive scalar boson are constructed, and a characterization and structural analyses of their kernels are obtained. In the focus of this article are the causal features of the POL. There is the well-known causal time evolution (CT). Recently a POL by Terno and Moretti, which is a kinematical deformation of the Newton–Wigner localization (NWL) and belongs to the here fully analyzed class of finite POL, is shown by V. Moretti to comply with CT. A further POL with CT treated here, which is in the same class, is the only one being the trace of a projection-valued localization (like NWL) with CT. Causality imposes a condition CC, which implies CT but is more restrictive than CT. Extending Moretti’s method it is shown rigorously that the POL of the class introduced by Petzold et al. satisfy CC. Their kernels are called causal kernels, of which a rather detailed description is achieved. One the way there the case of one spatial dimension is solved completely. This case is instructive. In particular it directed Petzold et al. and subsequently Henning, Wolf to find their basic one-parameter family KrK_rKr​ K r of causal kernels. The causal kernels are, up to a fixed energy factor, normalized positive definite Lorentz invariant kernels. A full characterization of the latter is attained due to their close relation to the zonal spherical functions on the Lorentz group. Finally these considerations discharge into the main result that K3/2K_{3/2}K3/2​ K 3 / 2 is the absolute maximum, viz. ∣K∣≤K3/2|K|\le K_{3/2}∣K∣≤K3/2​ | K | ≤ K 3 / 2 for all causal kernels K.