Measurement theory in local quantum physics

DOI10.1063/1.4935407MaRDI QIDQ2786614zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 15 February 2016

Published in Journal of Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Copyright license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1501.00239

Completely positive instruments Doplicher-Haag-Roberts theory Local quantum physics Measurement in quantum theory von Neumann algebras

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Operator spaces and completely bounded maps (46L07) General theory of von Neumann algebras (46L10) Applications of selfadjoint operator algebras to physics (46L60) Positive linear operators and order-bounded operators (47B65) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15) Operator algebra methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81R15) Axiomatic quantum field theory; operator algebras (81T05)

Abstract: In this paper, we aim to establish foundations of measurement theory in local quantum physics. For this purpose, we discuss a representation theory of completely positive (CP) instruments on arbitrary von Neumann algebras. We introduce a condition called the normal extension property (NEP) and establish a one-to-one correspondence between CP instruments with the NEP and statistical equivalence classes of measuring processes. We show that every CP instrument on an atomic von Neumann algebra has the NEP, extending the well-known result for type I factors. Moreover, we show that every CP instrument on an injective von Neumann algebra is approximated by CP instruments with the NEP. The concept of posterior states is also discussed to show that the NEP is equivalent to the existence of a strongly measurable family of posterior states for every normal state. Two examples of CP instruments without the NEP are obtained from this result. It is thus concluded that in local quantum physics not every CP instrument represents a measuring process, but in most of physically relevant cases every CP instrument can be realized by a measuring process within arbitrary error limits, as every approximately finite dimensional (AFD) von Neumann algebra on a separable Hilbert space is injective. To conclude the paper, the concept of local measurement in algebraic quantum field theory is examined in our framework. In the setting of the Doplicher-Haag-Roberts and Doplicher-Roberts (DHR-DR) theory describing local excitations, we show that an instrument on a local algebra can be extended to a local instrument on the global algebra if and only if it is a CP instrument with the NEP, provided that the split property holds for the net of local algebras.

Review text

The paper establishes a modality for introducing measurement theory in the field of local quantum physics. The main tool used is the ``completely positively (CP) instrument, defined three decades ago in [the second author, ``Quantum measuring processes of continuous observables, J. Math. Phys. 25, 79--87 (1984; \url{doi:10.1063/1.526000})] for quantum mechanic field, extended here to general von Neumann algebras, and applied in the case of quantum systems with infinite degrees of freedom. The authors define a special property of CP instruments, called ``normal extension property (NEP) and prove that NEP for CP instruments is equivalent with the existence of the corresponding measuring processes. More precisely, the next results are obtained for a von Neumann algebra \(\mathcal M\) and a measurable space \(\mathcal S\):NEWLINE{\parindent=6mm NEWLINE\begin{itemize} \item[(1)] There is a one-to-one correspondence between statistical equivalent classes of measuring processes and CP instruments with NEP (Theorem 3.6);NEWLINE\item [(2)] If \(\mathrm{CPInst}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})\) is the set of CP instruments, and \(\mathrm{CPInst}_{NE}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})\) (\(\mathrm{CPInst}_{AN}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})\)) is the set of instruments with the NEP (Approximately normal extension property -- ANEP respectively), thenNEWLINENEWLINE\end{itemize}} NEWLINE{\parindent=12mmNEWLINE\begin{itemize} \item[(2.a)] \(\mathrm{CPInst}_{NE}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})=\mathrm{CPInst}_{AN}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})=\mathrm{CPInst}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})\) if \(\mathcal M\) is atomic,NEWLINE\item [(2.b)] \(\mathrm{PInst}_{AN}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})=\mathrm{CPInst}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})\) if \(\mathcal M\) is injective (Theorem 4.4).NEWLINENEWLINE\end{itemize}} NEWLINE{\parindent=6mm NEWLINE\begin{itemize} \item[(3)] For \(\mathcal M\) non-atomic but injective, the inclusion \(\mathrm{CPInst}_{NE}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})\subset \mathrm{CPInst}_{AN}({\mathcal M},{\mathcal S})\) is strict (Section 5).NEWLINE\item [(4)] For any CP instrument, the NEP is equivalent to the existence of a strongly measurable family of aposteriori states, for every normal state (Corollary 5.6).NEWLINE\item [(5)] A weakly repeatable CP instrument has NEP if and only if it is discrete (an extension of a similar result of \textit{E. B. Davies} and \textit{J. T. Lewis} [Commun. Math. Phys. 17, 239--260 (1970; Zbl 0194.58304)]) (Theorem 5.10).NEWLINE\item [(6)] Every CP instrument defined on a local algebra represents a local instrument measurement within arbitrary error limits, and (with some restrictions) vice versa. Therefore, an instrument on a local algebra can be extended to a local instrument on a global algebra if and only if it is a CP instrument (Theorems 6.1 and 6.2). NEWLINENEWLINE\end{itemize}} NEWLINEFinally, the authors express their hope that ``this paper would be helpful for developing measurement theory in local quantum physics.

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