Causality from the spectrum: Emergence of causal order from process-matrix mereology
Varun Kushwaha, Nicolas Loizeau, Alexei Grinbaum +1 more
In Hamiltonian systems, the only basis-independent quantity is the spectrum. Given a spectrum, quantum mereology seeks preferred tensor-product decompositions into local subsystems, leading to the emergence of locality. Causal order, however, remains fixed by the Hamiltonian time evolution. In contrast, higher-order quantum theory permits more general processes that need not possess a definite global causal order. In the process-matrix framework, specifying a process requires a choice of subsystems corresponding to the input and output Hilbert spaces of each agent. A change of basis redefines both the agents and the corresponding decompositions into subsystems, while leaving the spectrum of the process matrix invariant. Here, we study how causality arises from this spectrum. First, we derive spectral constraints on processes compatible with definite causal order. Second, we show that, in the thermodynamic limit, generic quantum processes admit a preferred decomposition with a definite causal order. This suggests a mechanism for the emergence of classical causality only from algebraic ingredients.
quant-pharXiv:2607.15345•Jul 20, 2026•0 citations