Quantum Reference Frames for Lorentz Symmetry
- Author(s)
- Luca Apadula, Esteban Castro-Ruiz, Časlav Brukner
- Abstract
Since their first introduction, Quantum Reference Frame (QRF) transformations have been extensively discussed, generalising the covariance of physical laws to the quantum domain. Despite important progress, a formulation of QRF transformations for Lorentz symmetry is still lacking. The present work aims to fill this gap. We first introduce a reformulation of relativistic quantum mechanics independent of any notion of preferred temporal slicing. Based on this, we define transformations that switch between the perspectives of different relativistic QRFs. We introduce a notion of “quantum Lorentz transformations” and “superposition of Lorentz boosts”, acting on the external degrees of freedom of a quantum particle. We analyse two effects, superposition of time dilations and superposition of length contractions, that arise only if the reference frames exhibit both relativistic and quantum-mechanical features. Finally, we discuss how the effects could be observed by measuring the wave-packet extensions from relativistic QRFs.
- Organisation(s)
- Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
- External organisation(s)
- Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
- Journal
- Quantum
- Volume
- 8
- No. of pages
- 17
- ISSN
- 2521-327X
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.14081
- Publication date
- 08-2024
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103025 Quantum mechanics, 103028 Theory of relativity
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/quantum-reference-frames-for-lorentz-symmetry(058e1be7-9f66-4d44-9c78-523f38851d55).html