A topos foundation for theories of physics: III. The representation of physical quantities with arrows δ̆o(A):Σ̱→R≽̱

DOI10.1063/1.2883777MaRDI QIDQ5504928zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors A. Döring, C. J. Isham

Publication date 23 January 2009

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

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0703064

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Other applications of logic (03B80) Topoi (18B25) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05)

Abstract: This paper is the third in a series whose goal is to develop a fundamentally new way of viewing theories of physics. Our basic contention is that constructing a theory of physics is equivalent to finding a representation in a topos of a certain formal language that is attached to the system. In paper II, we studied the topos representations of the propositional language PL(S) for the case of quantum theory, and in the present paper we do the same thing for the, more extensive, local language L(S). One of the main achievements is to find a topos representation for self-adjoint operators. This involves showing that, for any physical quantity A, there is an arrow $$, where $SR$ is the quantity-value object for this theory. The construction of $$ is an extension of the daseinisation of projection operators that was discussed in paper II. The object $SR$ is a monoid-object only in the topos, $a{u}_{p}hi$, of the theory, and to enhance the applicability of the formalism, we apply to $SR$ a topos analogue of the Grothendieck extension of a monoid to a group. The resulting object, $kSR$, is an abelian group-object in $a{u}_{p}hi$. We also discuss another candidate, $PRmathR$, for the quantity-value object. In this presheaf, both inner and outer daseinisation are used in a symmetric way. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the role of unitary operators in the quantum topos scheme.

Recommendations

• ``What is a thing?: topos theory in the foundations of physics
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: II. Daseinisation and the liberation of quantum theory
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: IV. Categories of systems
• Unsharp values, domains and topoi
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: I. Formal languages for physics

Cites work

• A topos foundation for theories of physics: I. Formal languages for physics
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: II. Daseinisation and the liberation of quantum theory
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: IV. Categories of systems
• A topos perspective on the Kochen-Specker theorem. II: Conceptual aspects and classical analogues
• Kochen-Specker theorem for von Neumann algebras
• Topos perspective on the Kochen--Specker theorem. IV: Interval valuations
• Topos perspective on the Kochen-Specker theorem. I: Quantum states as generalized valuations
• Topos perspective on the Kochen-Specker theorem. III: Von Neumann algebras as the base category.

Cited in

(21)

• A topos for algebraic quantum theory
• Contextuality and noncommutative geometry in quantum mechanics
• A comparison of two topos-theoretic approaches to quantum theory
• Self-adjoint operators as functions. I: Lattices, Galois connections, and the spectral order
• Negations and meets in topos quantum theory
• Topos quantum logic and mixed states
• Classical and quantum probabilities as truth values
• Topos quantum theory on quantization-induced sheaves
• Topos quantum theory reduced by context-selection functors
• Spectral presheaves as quantum state spaces
• ``What is a thing?: topos theory in the foundations of physics
• Topos models for physics and topos theory
• A topos formulation of history quantum theory
• Group action in topos quantum physics
• Topologies on quantum topoi induced by quantization
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: I. Formal languages for physics
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: II. Daseinisation and the liberation of quantum theory
• A topos foundation for theories of physics: IV. Categories of systems
• Gleason’s theorem for composite systems
• Quantum entanglement: an analysis via the orthogonality relation
• Intuitionistic quantum logic of an \(n\)-level system

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