arXiv subjects

Hans Halvorson

Publications and source records attributed to Hans Halvorson.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2000

Entanglement and Open Systems in Algebraic Quantum Field Theory

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 analyze 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 nonrelativistic quantum theory and classical relativistic field theory.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2000

Generic Bell correlation between arbitrary local algebras in quantum field theory

We prove that for any two commuting von Neumann algebras of infinite type, the open set of Bell correlated states for the two algebras is norm dense. We then apply this result to algebraic quantum field theory -- where all local algebras are of infinite type -- in order to show that for any two spacelike separated regions, there is an open dense set of field states that dictate Bell correlations between the regions. We also show that any vector state cyclic for one of a pair of commuting nonabelian von Neumann algebras is entangled (i.e., nonseparable) across the algebras -- from which it follows that every field state with bounded energy is entangled across any two spacelike separated regions.

math-ph↗

arXiv1999

Non-local Correlations are Generic in Infinite-Dimensional Bipartite Systems

It was recently shown that the nonseparable density operators for a bipartite system are trace norm dense if either factor space has infinite dimension. We show here that non-local states -- i.e., states whose correlations cannot be reproduced by any local hidden variable model -- are also dense. Our constructions distinguish between the cases where both factor spaces are infinite-dimensional, where we show that states violating the CHSH inequality are dense, and the case where only one factor space is infinite-dimensional, where we identify open neighborhoods of nonseparable states that do not violate the CHSH inequality but show that states with a subtler form of non-locality (often called "hidden" non-locality) remain dense.

quant-ph↗

arXiv1999

Bipartite Mixed States of Infinite-Dimensional Systems are Generically Nonseparable

Given a bipartite quantum system represented by a tensor product of two Hilbert spaces, we give an elementary argument showing that if either component space is infinite-dimensional, then the set of nonseparable density operators is trace-norm dense in the set of all density operators (and the separable density operators nowhere dense). This result complements recent detailed investigations of separability, which show that when both component Hilbert spaces are finite-dimensional, there is a separable neighborhood (perhaps very small for large dimensions) of the maximally mixed state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv1999

Maximal Beable Subalgebras of Quantum-Mechanical Observables

Given a state on an algebra of bounded quantum-mechanical observables (the self-adjoint part of a C*-algebra), we investigate those subalgebras that are maximal with respect to the property that the given state's restriction to the subalgebra is a mixture of dispersion-free states---what we call maximal "beable" subalgebras (borrowing a terminology due to J. S. Bell). We also extend our investigation to the theory of algebras of unbounded observables (as developed by R. Kadison), and show how our results articulate a solid mathematical foundation for central tenets of the orthodox Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory (such as the joint indeterminacy of canonically conjugate observables, and Bohr's defense of the completeness of quantum theory against the argument of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen).

quant-ph↗