English

Changing quantum reference frames

Quantum Physics 2014-05-23 v3 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

We consider the process of changing reference frames in the case where the reference frames are quantum systems. We find that, as part of this process, decoherence is necessarily induced on any quantum system described relative to these frames. We explore this process with examples involving reference frames for phase and orientation. Quantifying the effect of changing quantum reference frames serves as a first step in developing a relativity principle for theories in which all objects including reference frames are necessarily quantum.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1307.6597,
  title  = {Changing quantum reference frames},
  author = {Matthew C. Palmer and Florian Girelli and Stephen D. Bartlett},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1307.6597},
  year   = {2014}
}

Comments

21 pages, 6 figures, comments welcome; v2 added some references; v3 published version

R2 v1 2026-06-22T00:57:28.060Z