Constructive description of the compact set of states (Q579252)

In this paper the authors use the ``yes/no'' question as the basic element of a physical theory (following Piron), ordered by `\(<'\) the ``stronger than'' relation where \(\alpha <\beta\) iff the truth of \(\beta\) follows from the truth of \(\alpha\). Equivalence classes of questions are called ``properties'' of the theory, and physical states are identified with the set of all ``actual'' properties - i.e. classes representing all true questions. The authors discuss the ``construction'' of a lattice of properties, corresponding to increasing answers to the ``yes/no'' questions, which in turn is supposed to correspond to the set of pure states of a theory. They illustrate their idea with extremely simple examples, before moving on to discuss the lattices topologically, identifying the set of all states of a physical system as a limit of an inverse system of topological spaces. The special problems of quantum states are not addressed here. For example the authors do not discuss the crucial issue of incompatible quantum properties and the corresponding interesting relations among quantum states.