Observables, disassembled

DOI10.1016/J.SHPSB.2018.02.002MaRDI QIDQ1672369zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 7 September 2018

Published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. Part B. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.07637, http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/87338/2/ObservablesDisassembled.pdf

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Selfadjoint operator theory in quantum theory, including spectral analysis (81Q10) Nonselfadjoint operator theory in quantum theory including creation and destruction operators (81Q12)

Abstract: This paper argues that non-self-adjoint operators can be observables. There are only four ways for this to occur: non-self-adjoint observables can either be normal operators, or be symmetric, or have a real spectrum, or have none of these three properties. I explore each of these four classes of observables, arguing that the class of normal operators provides an equivalent formulation of quantum theory, whereas the other classes considerably extend it.

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