arXiv subjects

Michele Arzano

Publications and source records attributed to Michele Arzano.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Bias in Local Spin Measurements from Deformed Symmetries

We study local spin measurements on bipartite singlet states when rotational symmetry is described by a quantum group rather than an ordinary Lie group. Although the fundamental spin-1/2 representation has the usual one-particle action on states, the non-trivial coproduct selects a deformed analogue of the Bell singlet state. We show that conventional tensor-factor measurements on this invariant singlet lead to deformation-dependent one-site outcome statistics. We then compare this standard-local prescription with a braided-local one, obtained by dressing local observables with the R-matrix and using the corresponding braided inner product. The braided observables are covariant under the Hopf adjoint action, but define a distinct measurement structure and lead to the reciprocal bias on the deformed singlet state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Modular theory and affine representations on the Rindler horizon

We develop a group-theoretic interpretation of the Unruh effect based on affine symmetry on a light ray and relate it to modular theory. For a massless scalar field in two spacetime dimensions inertial and uniformly accelerated observers select two different flows within the same chiral one-particle structure, respectively, null translations and dilations. Minkowski modes are adapted to translations, while Rindler modes are adapted to dilations, with the Mellin transform providing the natural bridge between them. When a Minkowski positive-frequency mode is restricted to a single Rindler wedge, its comparison with Rindler modes is non-unitary within the positive-frequency sector. Modular theory gives the corresponding operator-algebraic interpretation: on the horizon the modular flow of the half-line algebra is implemented by dilations, and the restricted vacuum satisfies the KMS condition. The affine group thus appears as the minimal symmetry structure underlying thermality on the Rindler horizon.

hep-th↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Evolution of Hopf Algebra Hamiltonians

In recent years, growing attention has been devoted to the possibility that theories with deformed symmetries, associated with certain models of non-commutative spacetime, may encode a fundamental form of decoherence. This effect should be described by a Lindblad-like evolution governed by the non-trivial Hopf algebra structure of the time-evolution generators. In this work we provide a detailed analysis of such possibility for similar Hopf algebra deformations of the Hamiltonian of a qubit. Starting from a critical examination of the very definition of time evolution through the generalized adjoint action, we explore whether a coherent and physically viable framework can be established. In particular, our analysis shows that a more general combination of adjoint actions always guarantees a von Neumann dynamics and, also in the case of deformed spacetime symmetries considered in the literature, a physically viable Lindblad evolution cannot be established.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Affine Symmetry and the Group-Theoretic Basis of the Unruh Effect

A massless scalar field in two spacetime dimensions splits into two independent sectors of left and right-moving modes on the light cone. At the quantum level, these two sectors carry a representation of the group of affine transformations of the real line, with translations corresponding to transformations generated by light-cone momenta and dilations given by light-cone Rindler momenta formed by a linear combination of generators of boosts and dilations. One-particle states for inertial observers are eigenvectors of translation generators belonging to irreducible representations of the affine group. Rindler one-particle states are related to eigenfunctions of the generator of dilations. We show that simple manipulations connecting these two representations involving the Mellin transform can be used to derive the thermal spectrum of Rindler particles observed by an accelerated observer. Beyond providing a representation-theoretic basis for vacuum thermal effects, our results suggest that analogous phenomena may arise in any quantum system admitting realizations of translation and dilation eigenstates.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Operator Entanglement from Non-Commutative Symmetries

We argue that Hopf-algebra deformations of symmetries -- as encountered in non-commutative models of quantum spacetime -- carry an intrinsic content of $operator$ $entanglement$ that is enforced by the coproduct-defined notion of composite generators. As a minimal and exactly solvable example, we analyze the $U_q(\mathfrak{su}(2))$ quantum group and a two-qubit realization obtained from the coproduct of a $q$-deformed single-spin Hamiltonian. Although the deformation is invisible on a single qubit, it resurfaces in the two-qubit sector through the non-cocommutative coproduct, yielding a family of intrinsically nonlocal unitaries. We compute their operator entanglement in closed form and show that, for Haar-uniform product inputs, their entangling power is fully determined by the latter. This provides a concrete mechanism by which non-commutative symmetries enforce a baseline of entanglement at the algebraic level, with implications for information dynamics in quantum-spacetime settings and quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

A Stochastic Origin of Spacetime Non-Commutativity

We propose a stochastic interpretation of spacetime non-commutativity starting from the path integral formulation of quantum mechanical commutation relations. We discuss how the (non-)commutativity of spacetime is inherently related to the continuity or discontinuity of paths in the path integral formulation. Utilizing Wiener processes, we demonstrate that continuous paths lead to commutative spacetime, whereas discontinuous paths correspond to non-commutative spacetime structures. As an example we introduce discontinuous paths from which the $κ$-Minkowski spacetime commutators can be obtained. Moreover we focus on modifications of the Leibniz rule for differentials acting on discontinuous trajectories. We show how these can be related to the deformed action of translation generators focusing, as a working example, on the $κ$-Poincaré algebra. Our findings suggest that spacetime non-commutativity can be understood as a result of fundamental discreteness in temporal and/or spatial evolution.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Infrared gravity and a celestial obstruction to monogamy constraints

We argue that gravitational interactions between particles require a departure from the conventional picture of the quantum state of a multiparticle system in terms of tensor products of one-particle states. This modification is essential in order to accommodate the existence of a new boost-like relativistic angular momentum charge which pairs of particles must carry asymptotically due to long-range effects of gravity. These findings challenge conventional assumptions, prompting a reevaluation of the constraints on quantum entanglement between particle subsystems in a black hole geometry.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Entanglement entropy and horizon temperature in conformal quantum mechanics

The generators of radial conformal symmetries in Minkowski space-time can be put in correspondence with generators of time evolution in conformal quantum mechanics. Within this correspondence we show that in conformal quantum mechanics the state corresponding to the inertial vacuum for a conformally invariant field in Minkowski space-time has the structure of a thermofield double. The latter is built from a bipartite "vacuum state" corresponding to the ground state of the generators of hyperbolic time evolution. These can evolve states only within a portion of the time domain. When such generators correspond to conformal Killing vectors mapping a causal diamond in itself and generators of dilations, the temperature of the thermofield double reproduces, respectively, the diamond temperature and the Milne temperature found for massless fields in Minkowski space-time. Moreover, we compute the entanglement entropy associated to the thermofield double states obtaining a UV divergent logarithmic behaviour akin to known results in two-dimensional conformal field theory where the entangling boundary is point-like.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

A new pairwise boost quantum number from celestial states

Infrared effects in the scattering of particles in gravity and electrodynamics entail an exchange of relativistic angular momentum between pairs of particles and the gauge field. Due to this exchange particles can carry an asymptotically non-vanishing "pairwise" boost-like angular momentum proportional to the product of their couplings to the field. At the quantum level this asymptotic angular momentum suggests the existence of a new quantum number carried by multi-particle states. We argue that such quantum number is related to a modification of the action of the generators of Lorentz transformations on multi-particle states. We derive such a modification using a group-theoretic argument based on the little group of the conformal primary basis for asymptotic states. The corresponding representation is an extension of the ordinary multi-particle Fock representation of the Poincaré group. The new multi-particle states belonging to such representation no longer factorize into tensor products of one-particle states. Viewed from a gravitational point of view, our results provide evidence for a universal breakdown of the description of multi-particle sates in terms of Fock space due to infrared back-reaction.

hep-th↗

arXiv2023

Entanglement entropy in conformal quantum mechanics

We consider sets of states in conformal quantum mechanics associated to generators of time evolution whose orbits cover different regions of the time domain. States labelled by a continuous global time variable define the two-point correlation functions of the theory seen as a one-dimensional conformal field theory. Such states exhibit the structure of a thermofield double built on bipartite eigenstates of generators of non-global time evolution. In terms of the correspondence between radial conformal symmetries in Minkowski spacetime and time evolution in conformal quantum mechanics proposed in arXiv:2002.01836, arXiv:2103.07228, such generators coincide with conformal Killing vectors tangent to worldlines of Milne and diamond observers at constant radius. The temperature of the thermofield double states in conformal quantum mechanics reproduces the temperatures perceived by such diamond and Milne observers. We calculate the entanglement entropy associated to the thermofield double states and obtain a UV divergent logarithmic behaviour analogous to known results in two-dimensional conformal field theory in which the entangling boundary is point-like.

hep-th↗

arXiv2023

Fundamental decoherence from quantum spacetime

We show that quantum properties of spacetime, encoded by noncommutativity at the Planck scale, lead to a generalized time evolution of quantum systems in which pure states can evolve into mixed states. Specifically, a decoherence mechanism is obtained in the form of a Lindblad-like time evolution for the density operator when the action of time translations generator is deformed by the effects of spacetime noncommutativity. The decoherence time for the evolution of a free particle is used to show that the Planck mass is the maximum allowed mass for elementary quantum systems.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Quantum particles in non-commutative space-time: an identity crisis

We argue that the notion of identical particles is no longer well defined in quantum systems governed by non-commutative deformations of space-time symmetries. Such models are characterized by four-momentum space given by a non-abelian Lie group. Our analysis is based on the observation that, for states containing more than one particle, only the total momentum of the system is a well defined quantum number. Such total momentum is obtained from the non-abelian composition of the particles individual momenta which are no longer uniquely defined. The main upshot of our analysis is that all previous attempts to construct Fock spaces for these models rested on wrong assumptions and indeed have been unsuccessful. We also show how the natural braiding of momentum quantum numbers which characterizes the exchange of factors in the tensor product of states is covariant under relativistic transformations thus solving a long standing problem in the field.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Deformed relativistic symmetry principles

We review the main features of models where relativistic symmetries are deformed at the Planck scale. We cover the motivations and links to other quantum gravity approaches. We describe in some detail the most studied theoretical frameworks, including Hopf algebras, relative locality, and other scenarios with deformed momentum space geometry. We discuss possible phenomenological consequences, and point out current open questions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

A group theoretic description of the $κ$-Poincaré Hopf algebra

It is well known in the literature that the momentum space associated to the $κ$-Poincaré algebra is described by the Lie group $\mathsf{A}\mathsf{N}(3)$. In this letter we show that the full $κ$-Poincaré Hopf algebra structure can be obtained from rather straightforward group-theoretic manipulations starting from the Iwasawa decomposition of the of the $\mathsf{SO(1,4)}$ group.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

$κ$-deformed complex fields and discrete symmetries

We present a construction of $κ$-deformed complex scalar field theory with the objective of shedding light on the way discrete symmetries and CPT invariance are affected by the deformation. Our starting point is the observation that, in order to have an appropriate action of Lorentz symmetries on antiparticle states, these should be described by four-momenta living on the complement of the portion of de Sitter group manifold to which $κ$-deformed particle four-momenta belong. Once the equations of motions are properly worked out from the deformed action we obtain that particle and antiparticle are characterized by different mass-shell constraints leading to a subtle form of departure from CPT invariance. The remaining part of our work is dedicated to a detailed description of the action of deformed Poincaré and discrete symmetries on the complex field.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Vacuum thermal effects in flat space-time from conformal quantum mechanics

The generators of radial conformal symmetries in Minkowski space-time can be mapped to the generators of time evolution in conformal quantum mechanics. Within this correspondence we show that in conformal quantum mechanics the state associated to the inertial vacuum in Minkowski space-time has the structure of a thermofield double. Such state is built from a bipartite "vacuum state", the ground state of the generators of hyperbolic time evolution, which cover only part of the time domain. When time evolution is restricted to a finite time domain one obtains the temperature perceived by static diamond observers in the Minkowski vacuum. When time evolution is determined by dilations, covering only half of the time line, the temperature of the thermofield double corresponds to the non-vanishing temperature perceived by Milne observers whose proper time evolution is confined to the future cone (Milne universe) of Minkowski space-time. The two pictures are related by a conformal transformation on the real line. Our result provides a purely group theoretical derivation of the Milne and diamond temperature and shows that the fundamental ingredient for vacuum thermal effects is the presence of a horizon rather than acceleration.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Planck-scale deformation of CPT and particle lifetimes

We carry out a systematic study of the bounds that can be set on Planck-scale deformations of relativistic symmetries and CPT from precision measurements of particle and antiparticle lifetimes. Elaborating on our earlier work [1] we discuss a new form of departure from CPT invariance linked to the possibility of a non-trivial geometry of four-momentum and its consequences for the particle and antiparticle mass-shells and decay probabilities. Our main result is a collection of experimental bounds that can be obtained for the deformation parameter of the theoretical model under consideration based on current data and sensitivities of planned experiments at high energies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Horizon temperature without space-time

It is shown how the characteristic thermal effects that observers experience in space-times possessing an event horizon can manifest already in a simple quantum system with affine symmetry living on the real line. The derivation presented is essentially group theoretic in nature: a thermal state emerges naturally when comparing different representations of the group of affine transformations of the real line. The freedom in the choice of different notions of translation generators is the key to the Unruh effect "on a line" we describe.

hep-th↗