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arXiv · 1007.0664

Is Quantum Field Theory ontologically interpretable? On localization, particles and fields in relativistic Quantum Theory

David Philip Schroeren
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Abstract

In this paper, I provide a formal set of assumptions and give a natural criterion for a quantum field theory to admit particles. I construct a na\"ive approach to localization for a free bosonic quantum field theory and show how this localization scheme, as a consequence of the Reeh-Schlieder theorem, fails to satisfy this criterion. I then examine the Newton-Wigner concept of localization and show that it fails to obey strong microcausality and thus is subject to a more general version of the Reeh-Schlieder theorem. I review approaches to quantum field theoretic explanations of particle detection events and explain how particles can be regarded as emergent phenomena of a relativistic field theory. In particular, I show that effective localization of Hilbert space vectors is equivalent to an approximate locality of observable algebras.

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David Philip Schroeren. 2010-07-05. Is Quantum Field Theory ontologically interpretable? On localization, particles and fields in relativistic Quantum Theory. https://arxiv.org/abs/1007.0664

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