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arXiv:2411.07915 · Entropy

A Note on the Relativistic Transformation Properties of Quantum Stochastic Calculus

John Edward Gough

Published May 15, 2025• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present a simple argument to derive the transformation of the quantum stochastic calculus formalism between inertial observers and derive the quantum open system dynamics for a system moving in a vacuum (or, more generally, a coherent) quantum field under the usual Markov approximation. We argue, however, that, for uniformly accelerated open systems, the formalism must break down as we move from a Fock representation over the algebra of field observables over all of Minkowski space to the restriction regarding the algebra of observables over a Rindler wedge. This leads to quantum noise having a unitarily inequivalent non-Fock representation: in particular, the latter is a thermal representation at the Unruh temperature. The unitary inequivalence is ultimately a consequence of the underlying flat noise spectrum approximation for the fundamental quantum stochastic processes. We derive the quantum stochastic limit for a uniformly accelerated (two-level) detector and establish an open system description of the relaxation to thermal equilibrium at the Unruh temperature.

DOI
10.3390/e27050529

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We present a simple argument to derive the transformation of the quantum stochastic calculus formalism between inertial observers and derive the quantum open system dynamics for a system moving in a vacuum (or, more generally, a coherent) quantum field under the usual Markov approximation. We argue, however, that, for uniformly accelerated open systems, the formalism must break down as we move from a Fock representation over the algebra of field observables over all of Minkowski space to the restriction regarding the algebra of observables over a Rindler wedge. This leads to quantum noise having a unitarily inequivalent non-Fock representation: in particular, the latter is a thermal representation at the Unruh temperature. The unitary inequivalence is ultimately a consequence of the underlying flat noise spectrum approximation for the fundamental quantum stochastic processes. We derive the quantum stochastic limit for a uniformly accelerated (two-level) detector and establish an open system description of the relaxation to thermal equilibrium at the Unruh temperature.
Quantum effects in non-inertial frames and curved space-time have been studied for decades. One of the most intriguing discoveries is the existence of virtual particles in the quantum vacuum. One example in which such particles can be observed is through the Unruh effect, which predicts that a uniformly accelerated observer would see a thermal bath of (virtual) particles in the quantum vacuum. Initial doubts on the existence of these virtual particles were allayed by the Unruh De-Witt (UDW) detector, which promoted these virtual particles to real excitations of the detector. Ever since, semiclassical approaches to relativistic quantum field theory (QFT) in flat and curved space-time have been predominantly analysed through a two-level Unruh De-Witt detector utilizing perturbation theory. It is noted, however, that the change of relativistic frame preserves Gaussian properties (e.g. Gaussian distribution of the Wigner function) of the system. In this thesis, we specifically explore the effects of relativistic (non-inertial) reference frames on QFT by considering relativistic QFT in flat-space time. These systems are analysed from the perspective of Gaussian quantum information, via homodyne detection and UDW detectors with a harmonic oscillator degree of freedom.Our project starts by reviewing and developing bipartite/multi-partite entanglement measures (specifically, entanglement of formation), in the hope that we can utilize these measures to understand the entanglement properties of the quantum vacuum. In general, these measure have infinite degrees of freedom and are incomputable. In this project the multi-partite entanglement measure is applied to the Gaussian regime, which reduces the number of degrees of freedom to a finite one, hence making it a computable measure.In our next project, we attempt to understand how relativistic reference frames affect the communication between different observers. To obtain an intuition of its effect, a passive (time-delay) signal sent from a uniformly accelerated observer to a stationary observer was analysed. When we naively implemented the self-homodyne detection scheme, the signal appeared noisy. This effect was referred to as apparent decoherence, and its effect could be traced back to our naive assumption that all of the signal’s information would be stored in the time-delayed mode; the vacuum entanglement that pre-existed before the (time-delay) signal was created must be accounted for. We follow by analysing the effects that emerge due to communication between different relativistic reference frames. We then develop a communication technique referred to as ideal-homodyne which is a homodyne detection scheme robust to these effects. We used this detection scheme to analyse the correlation/entanglement properties of an accelerated signal (created via accelerated mirror, squeezer and phase shifter) sent to an inertial observer.In our last project, we utilize the knowledge that was gained through the prior projects to analyse (subcycle) electro-optic sampling. In the literature, there were doubts as to whether electro-optic sampling were truly detecting virtual particles in the quantum vacuum, or particle excitations that were created as a by-product of the detection mechanism. We were able to pin-point some similarities between electro-optic sampling and subcycle probe via the UDW detector. The regime in which the electro-optic sampling directly maps virtual particles from the vacuum into real excitations of the probe field was identified by establishing an equivalence to the UDW detector in certain parameter regimes.
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The problem of a formulation of Nelson's (1967) stochastic mechanics of scalar fields in the context of general relativity is considered. The simple example of the scalar field in the Wightman vacuum state on the Rindler wedge is examined, the stochastic counterpart of the Fulling ambiguity of canonical quantisation is formulated, and the role of the stochastic mechanics of thermal mixtures, as formulated by Guerra and Loffredo (1981), is analysed, in the spirit of Davies (1975) and Unruh (1976), in the solution of the above ambiguity. An overall picture emerges which, both in the explicit example considered here and in its straightforward generalisations to static submanifolds of more general spacetimes, confirms Smolin's point of view that stochastic quantisation is a very natural conceptual frame in which to study the general non-covariance of the distinction between quantum and thermal fluctuations.
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We review the basic concepts of quantum probability and revise the classical and quantum stochastic (QS) calculus using the universal Itô B*-algebra approach. A non-commutative generalization of Lévy process is defined in Fock–Guichardet space in terms of the underlying B*-Itô modular algebra. The main notions and results of classical and QS analysis are reformulated in terms of the non-commutative but associative stochastic covariation of quantum integrals defined as sesquilinear forms adapted to a quantum Lévy process in Fock space. The general semi-Markov QS dynamics is defined in terms of a hemigroup of semi-morphic transformations as adjoints to a semiunitary hemigroup resolving a QS Schrödinger equation in Fock space. The corresponding semi-Markov hemigroup of completely positive contractions resolving a quantum master equation with generalized Lindblad generator as a non-commutative analogue of Feller–Kolmogorov equation is derived by taking vacuum conditional expectation in Fock space.