Related papers: Quantum field theory and time machines
We study real linear scalar field theory on two simple non-globally hyperbolic spacetimes containing closed timelike curves within the framework proposed by Kay for algebraic quantum field theory on non-globally hyperbolic spacetimes. In…
We briefly review the current status of the algebraic approach to quantum field theory on globally hyperbolic spacetimes, both axiomatic -- for general field theories, and constructive -- for a linear Klein-Gordon model. We recall the…
We prove two theorems which concern difficulties in the formulation of the quantum theory of a linear scalar field on a spacetime, (M,g_{ab}), with a compactly generated Cauchy horizon. These theorems demonstrate the breakdown of the theory…
We consider 2-dimensional cylinder spacetimes whose metrics differ from the flat Minkowskian metric within a compact region. By choice of time orientation, these spacetimes may be regarded as either globally hyperbolic timelike cylinders or…
A new approach to the model-independent description of quantum field theories will be introduced in the present work. The main feature of this new approach is to incorporate in a local sense the principle of general covariance of general…
We argue that the conventional quantum field theory in curved spacetime has a grave drawback: The canonical commutation relations for quantum fields and conjugate momenta do not hold. Thus the conventional theory should be denounced and the…
A century after the advent of Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity, both theories enjoy incredible empirical success, constituting the cornerstones of modern physics. Yet, paradoxically, they suffer from deep-rooted, so-far intractable,…
Robert Griffiths has recently addressed, within the framework of a 'consistent quantum theory' that he has developed, the issue of whether, as is often claimed, quantum mechanics entails a need for faster-than-light transfers of information…
We analyze quantum field theories on spacetimes $M$ with timelike boundary from a model-independent perspective. We construct an adjunction which describes a universal extension to the whole spacetime $M$ of theories defined only on the…
Brunetti, Fredenhagen and Verch (BFV) have shown how the notion of local covariance for quantum field theories can be formulated in terms of category theory: a theory being described as a functor from a category of spacetimes to a category…
Although the standard viewpoint in theoretical physics is that the unification of quantum theory and general relativity requires the quantization of gravity and spacetime, there is not consensus about whether spacetime must fundamentally…
The Special Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics merge in the key principle of Quantum Field Theory, the Principle of Locality. We review some examples of its ``unreasonable effectiveness'' (which shows up best in the formulation of…
This article sets out the framework of algebraic quantum field theory in curved spacetimes, based on the idea of local covariance. In this framework, a quantum field theory is modelled by a functor from a category of spacetimes to a…
We investigate whether commutativity is necessary to represent relativistic locality for localization observables of relativistic quantum systems in Minkowski spacetime. A well known no-go theorem by Halvorson and Clifton shows that…
The space time that is used in relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory is the Minkowski space time. Yet, as pointed out by several scholars this classical space time is incompatible with the Heisenberg Uncertainity…
To comply with the equivalence principle, fields in curved spacetime can be quantized only in the neighborhood of each point, where one can construct a freely falling M i n k o w s k i frame with z e r o curvature. In each such frame, the…
The notions of time in the theories of Newton and Einstein are reviewed so that the difficulty which impedes the unification of quantum mechanics (QM) and general relativity (GR) is clarified. It is seen that GR by itself contains an…
The framework of locally covariant quantum field theory is discussed, motivated in part using "ignorance principles". It is shown how theories can be represented by suitable functors, so that physical equivalence of theories may be…
The empirical validity of the locality (LOC) principle of relativity is used to argue in favour of a local hidden variable theory (HVT) for individual quantum processes. It is shown that such a HVT may reproduce the statistical predictions…
In this paper, we study implications of the geometrical nature of space- time for some of the basic tenets of quantum mechanics. That is, we study two different implications of the principle of general covariance; first we quantize a…