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Letters in Mathematical Physics

Achronal localization, representations of the causal logic for massive systems

Domenico P. L. Castrigiano

Published Mar 4, 2025• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract On plain physical grounds, localization of relativistic quantum particles is extended to the achronal regions of Minkowski spacetime. Achronal localization fulfills automatically the requirements of causality. It constitutes the frame which complies most completely with the principle of causality for quantum mechanical systems. Achronal localization is equivalent to the localization in the regions of the causal logic. Covariant representations of the causal logic are constructed for the systems with mass spectrum of positive Lebesgue measure and every definite spin. Apparently, no representation of the causal logic for a real mass system has been achieved in the past.

DOI
10.1007/s11005-025-01911-6

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arXiv:1711.06556•Nov 17, 2017•6 citations
Abstract On plain physical grounds, localization of relativistic quantum particles is extended to the achronal regions of Minkowski spacetime. Achronal localization fulfills automatically the requirements of causality. It constitutes the frame which complies most completely with the principle of causality for quantum mechanical systems. Achronal localization is equivalent to the localization in the regions of the causal logic. Covariant representations of the causal logic are constructed for the systems with mass spectrum of positive Lebesgue measure and every definite spin. Apparently, no representation of the causal logic for a real mass system has been achieved in the past.
On plain physical grounds localization of relativistic quantum particles is extended to the achronal regions of Minkowski spacetime. Achronal localization fulfills automatically the requirements of causality. It constitutes the frame which complies most completely with the principle of causality for quantum mechanical systems. Achronal localization is equivalent to the localization in the regions of the causal logic. Representations of the causal logic are constructed for the systems with mass spectrum of positive Lebesgue measure and every definite spin. Apparently no representation of the causal logic for a real mass system has been achieved in the past.
Abstract This communication presents a comprehensive framework for constructing a notion of covariant achronal localizations for relativistic quantum systems from conserved currents, based on the works by D. Castrigiano, by the authors of this communication and a further work arising from their recent collaboration. The approach requires and provides an extension of the divergence theorem to open sets with almost Lipschitz boundary. Building upon prior results on localization on spacelike Cauchy surfaces, the construction is extended to arbitrary achronal sets. Applying this method to probability density currents with causal kernel for the massive scalar boson yields the first explicit covariant representation of the causal logic for an elementary system with definite mass. A parallel construction derives from the stress-energy tensor. The results establish a rigorous, causality-respecting notion of localization fulfilling the foundational spirit of quantum theory.
We construct a covariant representation of the causal logic for the Dirac system and the electron, based on the conserved Dirac probability current and a general current-to-localization procedure for achronal regions. A polynomial decay estimate, derived by a non-stationary phase argument, verifies the conditions required to define covariant achronal localization for the full Dirac system. Extending this localization to complete spacetime regions yields the corresponding causal-logic representation; restriction to the positive-energy invariant subspace gives the analogous construction for the electron. We establish several structural properties. On Euclidean space, Dirac localization agrees with canonical projection-valued localization, while its position operator differs from the Newton--Wigner operator by an explicitly determined bounded self-adjoint correction. Full Dirac achronal localization is projection valued and represents achronal separateness by orthogonality, thus satisfying microscopic causality. After compression to the electron subspace, it becomes positive-operator valued while preserving causality. We further extend known results from spatial to general achronal regions, prove separation and norm-one criteria, and analyze the high-boost limit, obtaining Lorentz contraction in a precise probabilistic sense. Finally, we discuss the electron--positron decomposition and the state transformation induced by position measurements, showing that measurement-induced positron production is universal and independent of the specific measuring device.
Causal localizations describe the position of quantum systems moving not faster than light. They are constructed for the systems with finite spinor dimension. At the center of interest are the massive relativistic systems. For every positive mass, there is the sequence of Dirac tensor-localizations, which provides a complete set of inequivalent irreducible causal localizations. They obey the principle of special relativity and are fully Poincaré covariant. The boosters are determined by the causal position operator and the other Poincaré generators. The localization with minimal spinor dimension is the Dirac localization. Thus, the Dirac equation is derived here as a mere consequence of the principle of causality. Moreover, the higher tensor-localizations, not known so far, follow from Dirac’s localization by a simple construction. The probability of localization for positive energy states results to be described by causal positive operator valued (PO-) localizations, which are the traces of the causal localizations on the subspaces of positive energy. These causal Poincaré covariant PO-localizations for every irreducible massive relativistic system were, all the more, not known before. They are shown to be separated. Hence, the positive energy systems can be localized within every open region by a suitable preparation as accurately as desired. Finally, the attempt is made to provide an interpretation of the PO-localization operators within the frame of conventional quantum mechanics attributing an important role to the negative energy states.
In this work, we study the Localizability Problem for relativistic quantum systems.We do it on two fronts.In the first part of this thesis, we extend Newton-Wigner's localization approach to homogeneous globally hyperbolic spacetimes, defining generalized (local) Newton-Wigner position operators.We also give criteria to classify which unitary representations of the spacetime isometry group give origin to localizable representations, showing that the stabilizer group of the spatial isometry group plays a fundamental role.In the second part, we present a novel approach to the Localizability Problem, utilizing techniques from the Modular Theory of Tomita-Takesaki.We argue that position measurements must follow logical principles, incorporated in a mathematical structure referred to as a logic.The core idea is to include the causality structure of Minkowski spacetime in this logic so that the causality problems inherent in Newton-Wigner's approach are solved.We do it through the Modular Localization map [1] for arbitrary massive representations of P + .Our main contribution is the construction of a (quasi-) probability measure on the logic structure of spacetime for each algebraic state (which we interpret as the probability of detection of the system in these spacetime regions), and of a position observable in the logic-theoretic sense.Additionally, we compare our new approach with Newton-Wigner's localization, showing they are approximate in certain regimes.
Causal systems describe the localizability of relativistic quantum systems complying with the principles of special relativity and elementary causality. At their classification we restrict ourselves to real mass and finite spinor systems. It follows that (up to certain not yet discarded unitarily related systems) the only irreducible causal systems are the Dirac and the Weyl fermions. Their wave-equations are established as a mere consequence of causal localization. - The bounded localized Dirac and Weyl wavefunctions are studied in detail. One finds that, at the speed of light, the carriers shrink in the past and expand in the future. For every direction in space there is a definite time at which the change from shrinking to expanding occurs. A late changing time characterizes those states, which shrink to a delta-strip if boosted in the opposite direction. Using a density result for these late-change states one shows that all Dirac and Weyl wave-functions are subjected to Lorentz contraction. The latter is discussed in some detail. - We tackle the question whether a causal system induces a representation of a causal logic and thus provides a localization in proper space-time regions rather than on spacelike hyperplanes. The causal logic generated by the spacelike relation is shown to do not admit representations at all. But the logic generated by the non-timelike relation in general does, and the necessary condition is derived that there is a projection valued measure on every non-timelike non-spacelike hyperplane being the high boost limit of the localization on the spacelike hyperplanes. Dirac and Weyl systems are shown to satisfy this condition and thus to extend to all non-timelike hyperplanes, which implies more profound properties of the causal systems. The bounded localized eigenstates of the projections to non-spacelike flat strips are late-change states.