Symmetry and history quantum theory: An analog of Wigner’s theorem

DOI10.1063/1.531765zbMATH Open0883.46050arXivgr-qc/9607051OpenAlexW2034324784MaRDI QIDQ5284677FDOQ5284677

Authors: Stephan Schreckenberg 

Publication date: 23 March 1998

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

Abstract: The basic ingredients of the `consistent histories' approach to quantum theory are a space $UP$ of `history propositions' and a space $D$ of `decoherence functionals'. In this article we consider such history quantum theories in the case where $UP$ is given by the set of projectors $P(V)$ on some Hilbert space $V$. We define the notion of a `physical symmetry of a history quantum theory' (PSHQT) and specify such objects exhaustively with the aid of an analogue of Wigner's theorem. In order to prove this theorem we investigate the structure of $D$, define the notion of an `elementary decoherence functional' and show that each decoherence functional can be expanded as a certain combination of these functionals. We call two history quantum theories that are related by a PSHQT `physically equivalent' and show explicitly, in the case of history quantum mechanics, how this notion is compatible with one that has appeared previously.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9607051

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zbMATH Keywords

von Neumann algebraconsistent historiesdecoherence functionalsphysical symmetryGleason's Theoremhistory propositionshomogeneous symmetry

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of functional analysis in quantum physics (46N50) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05)

Cites Work

• Consistent histories and the interpretation of quantum mechanics
• Logical reformulation of quantum mechanics. I: Foundations
• On the consistent histories approach to quantum mechanics.
• Completeness of decoherence functionals
• Quantum logic and the histories approach to quantum theory
• Continuous histories and the history group in generalized quantum theory
• The structure of decoherence functionals for von Neumann quantum histories
• Quantum temporal logic and decoherence functionals in the histories approach to generalized quantum theory
• The classification of decoherence functionals: An analog of Gleason’s theorem

Cited In (7)

• Perturbation of the Wigner equation in inner product C*-modules
• Continuous-time histories: observables, probabilities, phase space structure and the classical limit.
• Symmetries of decoherence functionals
• Symmetries of history quantum theories and decoherence functionals
• On tracial operator representations of quantum decoherence functionals
• Symmetries and conservation laws in histories-based theories.
• Decoherence in pre-symmetric spaces

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