Entanglement and open systems in algebraic quantum field theory
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Entanglement has long been the subject of discussion by philosophers of quantum theory, and has recently come to play an essential role for physicists in their development of quantum information theory. In this paper we show how the formalism of algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) provides a rigorous framework within which to analyse entanglement in the context of a fully relativistic formulation of quantum theory. What emerges from the analysis are new practical and theoretical limitations on an experimenter's ability to perform operations on a field in one spacetime region that can disentangle its state from the state of the field in other spacelike-separated regions. These limitations show just how deeply entrenched entanglement is in relativistic quantum field theory, and yield a fresh perspective on the ways in which the theory differs conceptually from both standard non-relativistic quantum theory and classical relativistic field theory.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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Tidsskrift | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics |
Vol/bind | 32 |
Udgave nummer | 1 |
Sider (fra-til) | 1-31 |
ISSN | 1355-2198 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 2001 |
Eksternt udgivet | Ja |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:
The authors are extremely grateful to Paul Busch (for helpful discussions about operations), Jeremy Butterfield (for helping us to clarify our critique of Redhead's discussion of the operational implications of cyclicity), Reinhard Werner (for filling in for us the argument of Eqn (10) ), Fred Kronz (for urging us to include the final two sentences of note 1), Michael Redhead (for reminding us of the facts cited in note 14), and an anonymous referee (for prompting our inclusion of note 4). R.K.C. also wishes to thank All Souls College, Oxford for support under a Visiting Fellowship.
ID: 336465189