We explore the canonical description of a scalar field in 1 + 1 dimensional Minkowski space as a parametrized field theory on an extended phase space that includes additional embedding fields that characterize spacetime hypersurfaces X relative to which the scalar field is described. This theory is quantized via the Dirac prescription and physical states of the theory are used to define conditional wave functionals | ψ ϕ [ X ] ⟩ interpreted as the state of the field relative to the hypersurface X , thereby extending the Page-Wootters formalism to quantum field theory. It is shown that this conditional wave functional satisfies the Tomonaga-Schwinger equation, thus demonstrating the formal equivalence between this extended Page-Wootters formalism and standard quantum field theory. We also construct relational Dirac observables and define a quantum deparametrization of the physical Hilbert space leading to a relational Heisenberg picture, which are both shown to be unitarily equivalent to the Page-Wootters formalism. Moreover, by treating hypersurfaces as quantum reference frames, we extend recently developed quantum frame transformations to changes between classical and nonclassical hypersurfaces. This allows us to exhibit the transformation properties of a quantum field under a larger class of transformations, which leads to a frame-dependent particle creation effect. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
We explore the canonical description of a scalar field in 1 + 1 dimensional Minkowski space as a parametrized field theory on an extended phase space that includes additional embedding fields that characterize spacetime hypersurfaces X relative to which the scalar field is described. This theory is quantized via the Dirac prescription and physical states of the theory are used to define conditional wave functionals | ψ ϕ [ X ] ⟩ interpreted as the state of the field relative to the hypersurface X , thereby extending the Page-Wootters formalism to quantum field theory. It is shown that this conditional wave functional satisfies the Tomonaga-Schwinger equation, thus demonstrating the formal equivalence between this extended Page-Wootters formalism and standard quantum field theory. We also construct relational Dirac observables and define a quantum deparametrization of the physical Hilbert space leading to a relational Heisenberg picture, which are both shown to be unitarily equivalent to the Page-Wootters formalism. Moreover, by treating hypersurfaces as quantum reference frames, we extend recently developed quantum frame transformations to changes between classical and nonclassical hypersurfaces. This allows us to exhibit the transformation properties of a quantum field under a larger class of transformations, which leads to a frame-dependent particle creation effect. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
We explore the canonical description of a scalar field as a parameterized field theory on an extended phase space that includes additional embedding fields that characterize spacetime hypersurfaces X relative to which the scalar field is described. This theory is quantized via the Dirac prescription and physical states of the theory are used to define conditional wave functionals ∣ψϕ[X]⟩ interpreted as the state of the field relative to the hypersurface X, thereby extending the Page-Wootters formalism to quantum field theory. It is shown that this conditional wave functional satisfies the Tomonaga-Schwinger equation, thus demonstrating the formal equivalence between this extended Page-Wootters formalism and standard quantum field theory. We also construct relational Dirac observables and define a quantum deparameterization of the physical Hilbert space leading to a relational Heisenberg picture, which are both shown to be unitarily equivalent to the Page-Wootters formalism. Moreover, by treating hypersurfaces as quantum reference frames, we extend recently developed quantum frame transformations to changes between classical and nonclassical hypersurfaces. This allows us to exhibit the transformation properties of a quantum field under a larger class of transformations, which leads to a frame-dependent particle creation effect.
We formulate quantum reference frames within the Dirac quantization of gauge theories, where physical states are obtained from a kinematical Hilbert space Hkin by group averaging. We assume the gauge group G is unimodular, and we define a quantum reference frame as a system of coherent states associated with a group GR of frame orientations acting on a tensor factor of Hkin. In direct analogy with the Faddeev-Popov procedure in path integrals, we show that the physical inner product can be written in terms of a choice of frame orientation with an appropriate operator measure, but that the physical Hilbert space is independent of this choice of frame. This yields a generalization of the Page-Wootters reduction map used to define conditional states and conditional probabilities of measurement outcomes given a frame orientation. These probabilities correspond to the expectation values of relational Dirac observables obtained from generalizations of previously considered relativization maps. Our main result is that the map that implements a change of frame is unitary, even when G does not act as a tensor-product representation across a factorization of Hkin. The formalism therefore accommodates interactions between reference frames and the systems described relative to them. We apply this formalism to temporal frames, showing that a unitary Schrödinger equation emerges for an interacting clock and system, and that a previously reported time-nonlocal Schrödinger equation is recovered in an appropriate limit. With this, problems of non-unitarity are avoided by the use of the gauge-fixing measure in the physical inner product. We also discuss the case of interacting spatial frames, where the known correspondence between coherence in one frame and entanglement in another is shown to depend on the coupling.
In general relativity, the description of spacetime relies on idealised rods and clocks, which identify a reference frame. In any concrete scenario, reference frames are associated to physical systems, which are ultimately quantum in nature. A relativistic description of the laws of physics hence needs to take into account such quantum reference frames (QRFs), through which spacetime can be given an operational meaning. Here, we introduce the notion of a spacetime quantum reference frame, associated to a quantum particle in spacetime. Such formulation has the advantage of treating space and time on equal footing, and of allowing us to describe the dynamical evolution of a set of quantum systems from the perspective of another quantum system, where the parameter in which the rest of the physical systems evolves coincides with the proper time of the particle taken as the QRF. Crucially, the proper times in two different QRFs are not related by a standard transformation, but they might be in a quantum superposition one with respect to the other.Concretely, we consider a system of N relativistic quantum particles in a weak gravitational field, and introduce a timeless formulation in which the global state of the N particles appears "frozen", but the dynamical evolution is recovered in terms of relational quantities. The position and momentum Hilbert space of the particles is used to fix the QRF via a transformation to the local frame of the particle such that the metric is locally inertial at the origin of the QRF. The internal Hilbert space corresponds to the clock space, which keeps the proper time in the local frame of the particle. Thanks to this fully relational construction we show how the remaining particles evolve dynamically in the relational variables from the perspective of the QRF. The construction proposed here includes the Page-Wootters mechanism for non interacting clocks when the external degrees of freedom are neglected. Finally, we find that a quantum superposition of gravitational redshifts and a quantum superposition of special-relativistic time dilations can be observed in the QRF.
Abstract In previous works, we showed that both time and space can emerge from entanglement within a globally constrained quantum Universe, with no background coordinates. By extending the Page and Wootters quantum time formalism to include both quantum clocks and rods, and imposing global constraints on total energy and momentum, we constructed a fully relational model of quantum spacetime. Here we take a further step: working in 1+1 dimensions, we show that the standard wave equations governing quantum particles–the Schrödinger, Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations–emerge naturally from this framework. The solutions of the equations are derived directly from the constraints, without assuming any external spacetime structure. The second quantization formalism is also implemented and discussed. Our results provide further support for the idea that quantum dynamics may emerge from entanglement and constraints.
Non-locality and quantum appear together entitling scientific projects and papers quite usually.These are two hardly detachable concepts and modern quantum theories are built up taking into account this aspect explicitly.However, that characteristic turns challenging from a fundamental point of view and can be unhelpful for practical purposes.Here, we construct quantum field theory with deliberately local aspects for a 1+1 dimensional Dirac field in flat spacetime generalizing a recently developed formalism for scalar fields.That purpose is achieved exploiting the non-uniqueness of quantization process.This local construction leads to a natural notion of local quanta and provides a local algebra of operators.As an application, it is shown that the standard vacuum state is a boiling soup of local particles and this fact is connected with a still Gedankenexperiment consisting in slamming down and removing a mirror in an empty cavity. I. MOTIVATION AND BACKGROUNDNon-locality is a feature as intuitively challenging as genuine in the quantum world.The so-successful ordinary representation of quantum field theory (QFT) is based on the information carried by global operators (creation-annihilation operators) related to field excitations with well defined momentum, and therefore, completely delocalized in space.This picture accounts for an innumerable amount of phenomena with an astonishing accuracy, as particle physics or solid state physics shows.However, this conventional formalism can hardly deal with tasks related to local properties of quantum field states.Simple questions as "where is that particle?"or "how are these particles distributed in space?" are unsuccessfully answered in this background.What is more, it is difficult to reconcile the common understanding of a particle as a minute entity in space with the particle notion arising from the ordinary Fock construction, which rather describes excitations spreading in whole space.Furthermore, no localized states can be constructed in such QFT where occupation number representation of a quantum field can be understood as a "momentum" representation in the sense that the number of particles informs about the momentum carried by the field.The problem at this point is that it does not exist a reciprocal "position" representation, we have no local (in space) creation-annihilation operators.This result can be understood as a consequence of Hegerfeldt's theorem.
We present a covariant quantum formalism for scalar particles based on an enlarged Hilbert space. The particular physical theory can be introduced through a timeless Wheeler DeWitt-like equation, whose projection onto four-dimensional coordinates leads to the Klein-Gordon equation. The standard quantum mechanical product in the enlarged space, which is invariant and positive definite, implies the usual Klein-Gordon product when applied to its eigenstates. Moreover, the standard three-dimensional invariant measure emerges naturally from the flat measure in four dimensions when mass eigenstates are considered, allowing a rigorous identification between definite mass history states and the standard Wigner representation. Connections with the free propagator of scalar field theory and localized states are subsequently derived. The formalism also allows the superposition of different theories and remains valid in the presence of a fixed external field, revealing special orthogonality relations. Other details such as extended identities for the current density, the quantization of parameterized theories and the nonrelativistic limit, with its connection to the Page and Wooters formalism, are discussed. A related consistent second quantization formulation is also introduced.