Related papers: Watching the Clocks: Interpreting the Page-Wootter…
The Page-Wootters formalism is a proposal for reconciling the background-dependent, quantum-mechanical notion of time with the background independence of general relativity. However, the physical meaning of this framework remains debated.…
The Page-Wootters mechanism questioned the fundamental nature of time in quantum physics. The mechanism explored the notion that a given physical quantity is always defined and measured relative to a reference frame, in general, not…
Quantum reference frames are needed in quantum theory for much the same reasons that reference frames are in classical theories: to manifest invariance in line with fundamental relativity principles and to provide a basis for the definition…
In this paper we intend to discuss the importance of providing a physical representation of quantum superpositions which goes beyond the mere reference to mathematical structures and measurement outcomes. This proposal goes in the opposite…
We discuss the construction of relational observables in time-reparametrization invariant quantum mechanics and we argue that their physical interpretation can be understood in terms of conditional probabilities, which are defined from the…
In this paper we attempt to provide a physical representation of quantum superpositions. For this purpose we discuss the constraints of the quantum formalism to the notion of possibility and the necessity to consider a potential realm…
Quantum reference frame transformations have been proposed to provide a means by which to translate descriptions of quantum systems relative to each other. At present, there are several differing frameworks for describing quantum reference…
The topic of quantum reference frames (QRFs) has attracted a great deal of attention in the recent literature. Potentially, the correct description of such frames is important for both the technological applications of quantum mechanics and…
Time in relativity theory has a status different from that adopted by standard quantum mechanics, where time is considered as a parameter measured with reference to an external absolute Newtonian frame. This status strongly restricts its…
In the quantization of gauge theories and quantum gravity, it is crucial to treat reference frames such as rods or clocks not as idealized external classical relata, but as internal quantum subsystems. In the Page-Wootters formalism, for…
We propose that observables in quantum theory are properly understood as representatives of symmetry-invariant quantities relating one system to another, the latter to be called a reference system. We provide a rigorous mathematical…
In physics, every observation is made with respect to a frame of reference. Although reference frames are usually not considered as degrees of freedom, in all practical situations it is a physical system which constitutes a reference frame.…
A quantum mechanical observer might be describable as having a reference system that is a superposition of classical inertial reference frames. The present paper suggests a possible weighting function in such superpositions, determined by…
Reference frames are used to parameterize measurements of physical effects, but since their practical realization uses material objects, they may affect observations performed in a combined quantum state of the measured system together with…
In physics, it is crucial to identify operational measurement procedures to give physical meaning to abstract quantities. There has been significant effort to define time operationally using quantum systems, but the same has not been…
Quantum reference frames have attracted renewed interest recently, as their exploration is relevant and instructive in many areas of quantum theory. Among the different types, position and time reference frames have captivated special…
In this work we attempt to confront the orthodox widespread claim present in the foundational literature of Quantum Mechanics (QM) according to which 'superpositions are never actually observed in the lab'. In order to do so, we begin by…
Under the principle that quantum mechanical observables are invariant under relevant symmetry transformations, we explore how the usual, non-invariant quantities may capture measurement statistics. Using a relativisation mapping, viewed as…
The quantum reference frames program is based on the idea that reference frames should be treated as quantum physical systems. In this work, we combine these insights with the emphasis on operationality, understood as refraining from…
Based on a recent relational formulation of quantum reference frame transformations, especially with a case of quantum spatial translations in particular, we analyzed how the `value' of an observable for a fixed state change. That is the…