arXiv:2510.01628 · Classical and Quantum Gravity
Intrinsic Heisenberg-type lower bounds on spacelike hypersurfaces in general relativity
Thomas Schürmann
Abstract
Abstract In quantum theory on curved backgrounds, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle is usually discussed in terms of ensemble variances and flat-space commutators. Here we take a different, preparation-based viewpoint tailored to sharp position measurements on spacelike hypersurfaces in general relativity. A projective localization is modeled as a von Neumann–Lüders projection onto a geodesic ball B Σ ( r ) of radius r on a Cauchy slice ( Σ , h ) , with the post-measurement state described by Dirichlet data. Using DeWitt-type momentum operators adapted to an orthonormal frame, we construct a geometric, coordinate-invariant momentum standard deviation σ p and show that strict confinement to B Σ ( r ) enforces an intrinsic kinetic-energy floor. The lower bound is set by the first Dirichlet eigenvalue λ 1 of the Laplace–Beltrami operator on the ball, σ p ⩾ ℏ λ 1 , and is manifestly invariant under changes of coordinates and foliation. A variance decomposition separates the contribution of the modulus | ψ | from phase-gradient fluctuations and clarifies how the spectral geometry of ( Σ , h ) controls momentum uncertainty. Assuming only minimal geometric information, weak mean-convexity of the boundary yields a universal, scale-invariant Heisenberg-type product bound, σ p r ⩾ π ℏ / 2 , depending only on the proper radius r .