English

No-Signalling Fixes the Hilbert-Space Inner Product

Quantum Physics 2026-01-21 v1

Abstract

We investigate whether the inner product structure of quantum mechanics can be modified without violating fundamental physical principles. We consider a generalized inner product defined by a positive operator and assume local unitary dynamics, existence of entangled states and the no-signalling principle. We show that any nontrivial choice of inner product different from standard one inevitably leads to superluminal signalling, in contradiction with relativistic causality. Therefore, the standard Hilbert-space inner product is uniquely enforced by no-signalling.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.13012,
  title  = {No-Signalling Fixes the Hilbert-Space Inner Product},
  author = {Arun Kumar Pati},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.13012},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

Latex, 9 Pages, No Figures

R2 v1 2026-07-01T09:10:32.235Z