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arXiv:2505.10968 · Quantum

Towards local and compositional measurements in quantum field theory

Robert Oeckl, Adamantia Zampeli

Published Oct 8, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

A universal framework for the joint measurement of multiple localized observables in quantum field theory satisfying spacetime locality and compositionality is still lacking. We present an approach to the problem that is based on the one hand on the positive formalism, an axiomatic framework, where it is clear from the outset that we satisfy locality and compositionality, while also having a consistent probabilistic interpretation. On the other hand, the approach is based on standard tools from quantum field theory, in particular the path integral and the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism. After an overview of the conceptual foundations we introduce the modulus-square construction as a formalization of the measurement process for the expectation value of an important class of observables including quadratic observables. We show that this construction has many of the desired properties, including positivity, locality, single measurement recovery and compositionality. We introduce a renormalization scheme for the measurement of quadratic observables that also satisfies compositionality, in contrast to previous renormalization schemes. We discuss relativistic causality, confirming that measurements in our scheme are indeed localized in the spacetime regions where the underlying observables have support.

DOI
10.22331/q-2026-10-08-2232

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A universal framework for the joint measurement of multiple localized observables in quantum field theory satisfying spacetime locality and compositionality is still lacking. We present an approach to the problem that is based on the one hand on the positive formalism, an axiomatic framework, where it is clear from the outset that we satisfy locality and compositionality, while also having a consistent probabilistic interpretation. On the other hand, the approach is based on standard tools from quantum field theory, in particular the path integral and the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism. After an overview of the conceptual foundations we introduce the modulus-square construction as a formalization of the measurement process for the expectation value of an important class of observables including quadratic observables. We show that this construction has many of the desired properties, including positivity, locality, single measurement recovery and compositionality. We introduce a renormalization scheme for the measurement of quadratic observables that also satisfies compositionality, in contrast to previous renormalization schemes. We discuss relativistic causality, confirming that measurements in our scheme are indeed localized in the spacetime regions where the underlying observables have support.
We provide a framework and explicit construction for the regularized measurement of a large class of spacetime-localized observables in bosonic quantum field theory. The measurements fully satisfy relativistic causality and causal transparency, i.e., avoid unphysical superluminal signaling. We show explicitly how the measurement of time-extended observables back-reacts on itself and induces correlations between other measurements in its causal future. Our framework is fully compositional in spacetime and extends previous results on the measurement of instantaneous observables.
Abstract The process of quantum measurement is considered in the algebraic framework of quantum field theory on curved spacetimes. Measurements are carried out on one quantum field theory, the “system”, using another, the “probe”. The measurement process involves a dynamical coupling of “system” and “probe” within a bounded spacetime region. The resulting “coupled theory” determines a scattering map on the uncoupled combination of the “system” and “probe” by reference to natural “in” and “out” spacetime regions. No specific interaction is assumed and all constructions are local and covariant. Given any initial state of the probe in the “in” region, the scattering map determines a completely positive map from “probe” observables in the “out” region to “induced system observables”, thus providing a measurement scheme for the latter. It is shown that the induced system observables may be localized in the causal hull of the interaction coupling region and are typically less sharp than the probe observable, but more sharp than the actual measurement on the coupled theory. Post-selected states conditioned on measurement outcomes are obtained using Davies–Lewis instruments that depend on the initial probe state. Composite measurements involving causally ordered coupling regions are also considered. Provided that the scattering map obeys a causal factorization property, the causally ordered composition of the individual instruments coincides with the composite instrument; in particular, the instruments may be combined in either order if the coupling regions are causally disjoint. This is the central consistency property of the proposed framework. The general concepts and results are illustrated by an example in which both “system” and “probe” are quantized linear scalar fields, coupled by a quadratic interaction term with compact spacetime support. System observables induced by simple probe observables are calculated exactly, for sufficiently weak coupling, and compared with first order perturbation theory.
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.
We review what it means for a relativistic particle to be localized and argue that the most useful approach is through local measurement. This perspective ties localization directly to relativistic causality and measurable outcomes in spacetime. Strict localization in quantum field theory is formalized by states that give the same expectation value as vacuum for all local observables outside some spacetime region. With this formalism, single photons cannot be strictly localized, but coherent states can. The structure and interpretation of local observables and local operator algebras are discussed in connection with the Reeh-Schlieder theorem. Since probabilities of local measurement outcomes cannot vanish in vacuum, particle detection events must be phrased carefully. Key characteristics of strictly localized states are surveyed alongside concrete strategies for constructing them. The relationship between localization, causality, and on-demand sources is analyzed, finding that strictly localized states can represent localized, propagating information in quantum field theory. Explicit examples of localized photonic states are presented with an emphasis on quantum optics, including states that approximate single photons and (entangled) Bell states.
We discuss a novel framework for physical theories that is based on the principles of locality and operationalism. It generalizes and unifies previous frameworks, including the standard formulation of quantum theory, the convex operational framework and Segal's approach to quantum field theory. It is capable of encoding both classical and quantum (field) theories, implements spacetime locality in a manifest way and contains the complete modern notion of measurement in the quantum case. Its mathematical content can be condensed into a set of axioms that are similar to those of Atiyah and Segal. This is supplemented by two basic rules for extracting probabilities or expectation values for measurement processes. The framework, called the positive formalism, is derived in three completely different ways. One derivation is from first principles, one starts with classical field theory and one with quantum field theory. The latter derivation arose previously in the programme of the general boundary formulation of quantum theory. As in the convex operational framework, the difference between classical and quantum theories essentially arises from certain partially ordered vector spaces being either lattices or anti-lattices. If we add the ad hoc ingredient of imposing anti-lattice structures, the derivation from first principles may be seen as a reconstruction of quantum theory. Among other things, the positive formalism suggests a statistical approach to classical field theories with dynamical metric, provides a common ground for quantum information theory and quantum field theory, introduces a notion of local measurement into quantum field theory, and suggests a new perspective on quantum gravity by removing the incompatibility with general relativistic principles.
This work presents a foundational derivation of the Born probability rule of quantum mechanics. Instead of positing the quadratic probability measure (P=∣Ψ∣2P=∣Ψ∣2) as an axiom, this framework demonstrates its emergence from a set of physically motivated principles governing the composition of amplitudes on spacetime regions. The core axioms are: Spacetime Gluing (Functoriality): Amplitudes for adjacent spacetime regions compose via integration over their shared boundary, in a manner consistent with the Feynman path integral. Boundary States: Quantum states are fundamentally defined as complex functionals on the boundaries (or slices) of spacetime regions. Spacelike Factorization: The Hilbert space of a composite system of spacelike-separated regions is the tensor product of the individual Hilbert spaces, ensuring locality. Unitary Invariance: Probabilities are invariant under unitary transformations of the state space. It is shown that these axioms, particularly the requirement of consistency under different choices of spacelike slicing (foliation-invariance), uniquely select the standard inner product norm ⟨ψ∣ψ⟩⟨ψ∣ψ⟩ as the only valid, continuous, and multiplicative probability functional. This approach reframes the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics as an intrinsic consequence of spacetime's geometric and causal structure, bridging concepts from quantum field theory and the General Boundary Formulation. This document is submitted to Zenodo to establish a permanent, citable, and timestamped record of this specific derivation, thereby planting a flag for the principle of deriving quantum probabilities from first principles of spacetime composition.