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arXiv:2606.27387 · Annalen der Physik

On the Meaning of Localization in Non‐Local Quantum Field Theory

Ellis Thompson

Published Jun 1, 2026• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this paper we explore and derive an uncertainty principle for an ultraviolet complete nonlocal quantum field theory where under our hypothesises of an induced equal time detector response kernel, we then prove that the observed localization width obeys an exact variance addition law. We want to study the nonlocal uncertainty principle for various reasons, but an appealing one it to resolve the UV ultraviolet divergence problem and maybe even eventually resolve the black hole information paradox or other acausality paradoxes. Then when we combine this with the ordinary Heisenberg inequality and we obtain a nonlocal uncertainty relation. The bound reduces to the usual local relation in the infrared or local limit when , while in the ultraviolet it implies a minimal localization length of order . We go on to explain what this means for locality, microcausality, the interpretation of spacetime points, and the ultraviolet structure of quantum field theory. In this formulation we note and prove that spacetime will remain a Lorentz covariant continuum at the level of the manifold description but pointlike localization ceases to be a physically realizable observable notion below the nonlocality scale.

DOI
10.1002/andp.70233

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ABSTRACT In this paper we explore and derive an uncertainty principle for an ultraviolet complete nonlocal quantum field theory where under our hypothesises of an induced equal time detector response kernel, we then prove that the observed localization width obeys an exact variance addition law. We want to study the nonlocal uncertainty principle for various reasons, but an appealing one it to resolve the UV ultraviolet divergence problem and maybe even eventually resolve the black hole information paradox or other acausality paradoxes. Then when we combine this with the ordinary Heisenberg inequality and we obtain a nonlocal uncertainty relation. The bound reduces to the usual local relation in the infrared or local limit when , while in the ultraviolet it implies a minimal localization length of order . We go on to explain what this means for locality, microcausality, the interpretation of spacetime points, and the ultraviolet structure of quantum field theory. In this formulation we note and prove that spacetime will remain a Lorentz covariant continuum at the level of the manifold description but pointlike localization ceases to be a physically realizable observable notion below the nonlocality scale.
In a complete quantum theory, one would construct it based on what we can observe in a system and operationally define in our universe. This philosophy goes back to some of the original ideals of quantum theory defined by W. Heisenberg, N. Bohr, and others as part of the Copenhagen school of thought. We argue in this letter that that if one wishes to construct a complete quantum field theory, that it is most natural to construct it based on a nonlocal theory of observable principles. If this interpretation is valid, then the one-particle nonrelativistic limit that recovers quantum mechanics would as well be dynamically nonlocal. In this interpretation we derive the nonlocal Schrödinger equation. We will as well demonstrate that the canonical position--momentum commutator and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle emerge from translation covariance.
Relativistic quantum theory supports two competing notions of particle locality. Newton--Wigner localization provides a sharp position operator on the one-particle Hilbert space but is not Lorentz covariant and leads to instantaneous spreading for positive-energy states. Foldy--Wouthuysen localization, widely used in precision experiments, yields a robust quasi-classical particle description but is representation-dependent and does not coincide with strict field-theoretic locality. We show that this tension is not a paradox in UV-complete nonlocal quantum field theories whose ultraviolet physics is encoded by an entire-function regulator. In such theories the physically accessible observables form a quasi-local algebra generated by regulated smearings with an intrinsic nonlocality length. Sharp Newton--Wigner projectors are not operationally realistic, and Newton--Wigner and Foldy--Wouthuysen localization become equivalent non-singular notions of locality in the same measurement algebra.
The notion of nonlocality implicitly implies there might be some kind of spooky action at a distance in nature, however, the validity of quantum mechanics has been well tested up to now. In this work it is argued that the notion of nonlocality is physically improper, the basic principle of locality in nature is well respected by quantum mechanics, namely, the uncertainty principle. We show that the quantum bound on the Clauser, Horne, Shimony, and Holt (CHSH) inequality can be recovered from the uncertainty relation in a multipartite setting. We further argue that the super-quantum correlation demonstrated by the nonlocal box is not physically comparable with the quantum one. The origin of the quantum structure of nature still remains to be explained, some post-quantum theory which is more complete in some sense than quantum mechanics is possible and might not necessarily be a hidden variable theory.
In modern quantum information theory one deals with an idealized situation when the spacetime dependence of quantum phenomena is neglected. However the transmission and processing of (quantum) information is a physical process in spacetime. Therefore such basic notions in quantum information theory as qubit, channel, composite systems and entangled states should be formulated in space and time. In this paper some basic notions of quantum information theory are considered from the point of view of quantum field theory and general relativity. It is pointed out an important fact that in quantum field theory there is a statistical dependence between two regions in spacetime even if they are spacelike separated. A classical probabilistic representation for a family of correlation functions in quantum field theory is obtained. A noncommutative generalization of von Neumann`s spectral theorem is discussed. We suggest a new physical principle describing a relation between the mathematical formalism of Hilbert space and quantum physical phenomena which goes beyond the superselection rules. Entangled states and the change of state associated with the measurement process in space and time are discussed including the black hole and the cosmological spacetime. It is shown that any reasonable state in relativistic quantum field theory becomes disentangled at large spacelike distances if one makes local observations. As a result a violation of Bell`s inequalities can be observed without inconsistency with principles of relativistic quantum theory only if the distance between detectors is rather small. We suggest a further experimental study of entangled states in spacetime by studying the dependence of the correlation functions on the distance between detectors.
If nature allowed nonlocal correlations other than those predicted by quantum mechanics, would that contradict some physical principle? Various approaches have been put forward in the past two decades in an attempt to single out quantum nonlocality. However, none of them can explain the set of quantum correlations arising in the simplest scenarios. Here, it is shown that generalized uncertainty relations, as well as a specific notion of locality, give rise to both familiar and new characterizations of quantum correlations. In particular, we identify a condition, relativistic independence, which states that uncertainty relations are local in the sense that they cannot be influenced by other experimenters' choices of measuring instruments. We prove that theories with nonlocal correlations stronger than the quantum ones do not satisfy this notion of locality, and therefore, they either violate the underlying generalized uncertainty relations or allow experimenters to nonlocally tamper with the uncertainty relations of their peers.
In 1993 Sorkin showed that extending textbook ideal measurements to relativistic quantum fields conflicts with locality as for generic observables, the state-update associated with an ideal measurement can transmit information faster than light, even when the intervening and readout regions are spacelike separated. We reformulate this tension in covariant string field theory, where the fundamental degrees of freedom are extended and the spacetime description involves operators with intrinsic string-scale nonlocality. We show that the paradox relies on the existence of sharply localized projectors and an exact Lüders reduction rule, neither of which is operationally realized in string field theory. This yields an operational notion of locality that resolves Sorkin’s signaling channel while recovering local quantum field theory in the limit of vanishing string length.