Paracausal deformations of Lorentzian metrics and Møller isomorphisms in algebraic quantum field theory (Q6166759)

The authors develop a new type of relationship between globally hyperbolic metrics, which they call para-causal relationship, formulated as follows: Two globally hyperbolic metrics \(g\) and \(g'\) on \(M\) are para-causally related to each other if and only if there is a finite sequence \(g_0 := g,g_1,\dots, g_N := g'\) of globally hyperbolic metrics on \(M\) such that the future open light cones of the metrics \(g_k\) and \(g_{k+1}\) have non-empty intersection at every point \(x \in M\). Taking \(\mathbb{R}^2\) equipped with a fixed coordinate system \(x\) and \(y\) as an example, the metrics \(g:=dx^2-dy^2\), \(g':=-dx^2+dy^2\), and \(g'':=dx^2-dy^2\) with time orientations defined by \(\partial_y\), \(\partial_x\), and \(-\partial_y\) respectively are para-causally related but if we identify \(x\) and \(x+1\) in \(\mathbb{R}^2\) the metric \(g:=dx^2-dy^2\) with the time orientation \(\partial_y\) and the metric \(g'':=dx^2-dy^2\) with the opposite time orientation \(-\partial_y\) are not in para-causal relation. After reviewing the properties of the normally hyperbolic operators, especially their interplay with convex combinations of Lorentzian metrics, the authors prove the existence of infinitely many Møller operators. Let \(N,N' : \Gamma(E) \to\Gamma(E)\) be second order normally hyperbolic operators on a real or complex vector bundle \(E\) on \(M\), respectively associated to a pair of globally hyperbolic para-causally related metrics. A Møller operator is an isomorphism \(R : \Gamma(E) \to\Gamma(E)\), which restricts to the Møller map \(S\) between the space of solutions, i.e., the linear vector spaces of ``spatially compact'' solutions of the inhomogeneous equations \(Nf = h\) and \(N'f' = h'\) with compactly supported sources. The authors also show that if \(N\) and \(N'\) are formally self-adjoint with respect to a non-degenerate Hermitian fiber metric, the Møller map \(S^0:=S|_{\mathrm{Ker} (N)}:\mathrm{Ker}(N)\to\mathrm{Ker}(N')\) preserves the natural symplectic forms (on the space of the initial data) of the normal operators. Finally, the authors study the free quantum field theory on globally hyperbolic spacetimes. They show that the Møller operator \( R\) can be promoted to an isomorphism \(\mathcal{R}: \mathcal{A}'\to \mathcal{A}\) of the algebras of field operators \(\mathcal{A}\) and \(\mathcal{A}'\) generated by the field operators \(\Phi\) and \(\Phi'\) satisfying the following canonical commutation relations (CCR): \[ [\Phi(\cdot),\Phi(\cdot)]=iG_N(\cdot,\cdot),\quad\quad [\Phi'(\cdot),\Phi'(\cdot)]=iG_{N'}(\cdot,\cdot), \] where \(G_N\) and \(G_{N'}\) are the causal propagators of \(N\) and \(N'\) respectively, \(G_{N'}=RG_NR^\dag\), and \(R^\dag\) is the adjoint of the Møller operator. In particular the authors show that for \(\mathbb{R}\)-vector bundles over \(M\), the state \(\omega : \mathcal{A} \to\mathbb{C}\) is a quasi-free Hadamard state if and only if \(\omega':=\omega\circ\mathcal{R}: \mathcal{A}' \to\mathbb{C}\) is a quasi-free Hadamard state.