The so-called topos approach provides a radical reformulation of quantum theory. Structurally, quantum theory in the topos formulation is very similar to classical physics. There is a state object, analogous to the state space of a classical system, and a quantity-value object, generalising the real numbers. Physical quantities are maps from the state object to the quantity-value object -- hence the `values' of physical quantities are not just real numbers in this formalism. Rather, they are families of real intervals, interpreted as `unsharp values'. We will motivate and explain these aspects of the topos approach and show that the structure of the quantity-value object can be analysed using tools from domain theory, a branch of order theory that originated in theoretical computer science. Moreover, the base category of the topos associated with a quantum system turns out to be a domain if the underlying von Neumann algebra is a matrix algebra. For general algebras, the base category still is a highly structured poset. This gives a connection between the topos approach, noncommutative operator algebras and domain theory. In an outlook, we present some early ideas on how domains may become useful in the search for new models of (quantum) space and space-time.
Functional quantum theory of free Fermi fields is treated for the special case of a free Dirac field. All other cases run on the same pattern. Starting with the Schwinger functionals of the free Dirac field, functional equations and corresponding many particle functionals can be derived. To establish a functional quantum theory, a physical interpretation of the functionals is required. It is provided by a mapping of the physical Hilbert space into an appropriate functional Hilbert space, which is introduced here. Mathematical details, especially the problems connected with anticommuting functional sources are treated in the appendices.
We extend the framework of Unified Quantum Mechanics (UQM) to the relativistic domain by formulating the Dirac equation entirely in terms of real-valued fields. In this approach, the complex imaginary unit
i is systematically replaced by the temporal Hilbert transform operator
Ht, which satisfies the anti-involution property
Ht2=−I and acts as a dimensionless isometric operator. The resulting theory is expressed as a coupled system of real-valued equations for a primary field
ψ and its Hilbert-transformed partner
ϕ=Ht[ψ], whose evolution is governed exclusively by local differential operators. We demonstrate that all essential algebraic and symmetry structures of relativistic quantum mechanics are preserved within this real-valued formulation. In particular, the full Clifford algebra of the Dirac matrices, Lorentz covariance, and the relativistic energy-momentum relation are recovered exactly. A rigorous isomorphism with the conventional complex Dirac equation is established via the analytic signal representation
ψa=ψ−iϕ, under which the standard
U(1) gauge symmetry emerges naturally as a global
SO(2) rotation in the real field space. The resulting formulation is therefore operationally and predictively equivalent to the standard complex theory. The conserved scalar density
ρ=ψ†ψ+ϕ†ϕ=∣ψa∣2 is shown to arise as the squared envelope (intensity) of a real physical field and admits a direct interpretation as a local field intensity with well-defined physical dimensions. Probability conservation is recovered through the continuity equation, while normalization in standard quantum mechanics is reinterpreted as a rescaling by the conserved total field. Stability of matter, expressed as energy positivity, is shown to restrict the physical solution space to analytic signals, enforcing a Hilbert-pair structure and eliminating independent complex degrees of freedom. This work demonstrates that the complex structure of relativistic quantum mechanics is not fundamental but emerges from the analytically constrained dynamics of real-valued fields, providing a unified and physically transparent foundation for the Dirac theory.