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Romeo Brunetti

Publications and source records attributed to Romeo Brunetti.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2009

Quantum Field Theory on Curved Backgrounds

We review the status of (scalar) quantum field theory on curved spacetimes using a novel formulation in terms of non linear functionals over the smooth configuration fields. In particular, this entails also a new foundation of locally covariant classical field theory. For all that, methods from microlocal analysis combined with some methods from global analysis, namely differentiation on locally convex spaces, and category theory are crucially employed.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2008

Quantum charges and spacetime topology: The emergence of new superselection sectors

In which is developed a new form of superselection sectors of topological origin. By that it is meant a new investigation that includes several extensions of the traditional framework of Doplicher, Haag and Roberts in local quantum theories. At first we generalize the notion of representations of nets of C*-algebras, then we provide a brand new view on selection criteria by adopting one with a strong topological flavour. We prove that it is coherent with the older point of view, hence a clue to a genuine extension. In this light, we extend Roberts' cohomological analysis to the case where 1--cocycles bear non trivial unitary representations of the fundamental group of the spacetime, equivalently of its Cauchy surface in case of global hyperbolicity. A crucial tool is a notion of group von Neumann algebras generated by the 1-cocycles evaluated on loops over fixed regions. One proves that these group von Neumann algebras are localized at the bounded region where loops start and end and to be factorial of finite type I. All that amounts to a new invariant, in a topological sense, which can be defined as the dimension of the factor. We prove that any 1-cocycle can be factorized into a part that contains only the charge content and another where only the topological information is stored. This second part resembles much what in literature are known as geometric phases. Indeed, by the very geometrical origin of the 1-cocycles that we discuss in the paper, they are essential tools in the theory of net bundles, and the topological part is related to their holonomy content. At the end we prove the existence of net representations.

math-ph↗
arXiv2005

Superselection Sectors and General Covariance.I

This paper is devoted to the analysis of charged superselection sectors in the framework of the locally covariant quantum field theories. We shall analize sharply localizable charges, and use net-cohomology of J.E. Roberts as a main tool. We show that to any 4-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetime it is attached a unique, up to equivalence, symmetric tensor $\Crm^*-$category with conjugates (in case of finite statistics); to any embedding between different spacetimes, the corresponding categories can be embedded, contravariantly, in such a way that all the charged quantum numbers of sectors are preserved. This entails that to any spacetime is associated a unique gauge group, up to isomorphisms, and that to any embedding between two spacetimes there corresponds a group morphism between the related gauge groups. This form of covariance between sectors also brings to light the issue whether local and global sectors are the same. We conjecture this holds that at least on simply connected spacetimes. It is argued that the possible failure might be related to the presence of topological charges. Our analysis seems to describe theories which have a well defined short-distance asymptotic behaviour.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2005

General Covariance in Algebraic Quantum Field Theory

In this review we report on how the problem of general covariance is treated within the algebraic approach to quantum field theory by use of concepts from category theory. Some new results on net cohomology and superselection structure attained in this framework are included.

math-ph↗
arXiv2002

Time of occurrence observable in quantum mechanics

We propose a general construction of an observable measuring the time of occurence of an effect in quantum theory. Time delay in potential scattering is computed as a straightforward application.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2002

Remarks on time-energy uncertainty relations

Using a recent construction of observables characterizing the time of occurence of an effect in quantum theory, we present a rigorous derivation of the standard time-energy uncertainty relation. In addition, we prove an uncertainty relation for time measurements only.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2002

Modular localization and Wigner particles

We propose a framework for the free field construction of algebras of local observables which uses as an input the Bisognano-Wichmann relations and a representation of the Poincare' group on the one-particle Hilbert space. The abstract real Hilbert subspace version of the Tomita-Takesaki theory enables us to bypass some limitations of the Wigner formalism by introducing an intrinsic spacetime localization. Our approach works also for continuous spin representations to which we associate a net of von Neumann algebras on spacelike cones with the Reeh-Schlieder property. The positivity of the energy in the representation turns out to be equivalent to the isotony of the net, in the spirit of Borchers theorem. Our procedure extends to other spacetimes homogeneous under a group of geometric transformations as in the case of conformal symmetries and de Sitter spacetime.

math-ph↗
arXiv2001

The generally covariant locality principle -- A new paradigm for local quantum physics

A new approach to the model-independent description of quantum field theories will be introduced in the present work. The main feature of this new approach is to incorporate in a local sense the principle of general covariance of general relativity, thus giving rise to the concept of a "locally covariant quantum field theory". Such locally covariant quantum field theories will be described mathematically in terms of covariant functors between the categories, on one side, of globally hyperbolic spacetimes with isometric embeddings as morphisms and, on the other side, of *-algebras with unital injective *-endomorphisms as morphisms. Moreover, locally covariant quantum fields can be described in this framework as natural transformations between certain functors. The usual Haag-Kastler framework of nets of operator-algebras over a fixed spacetime background-manifold, together with covariant automorphic actions of the isometry-group of the background spacetime, can be re-gained from this new approach as a special case. Examples of this new approach are also outlined. In case that a locally covariant quantum field theory obeys the time-slice axiom, one can naturally associate to it certain automorphic actions, called ``relative Cauchy-evolutions'', which describe the dynamical reaction of the quantum field theory to a local change of spacetime background metrics. The functional derivative of a relative Cauchy-evolution with respect to the spacetime metric is found to be a divergence-free quantity which has, as will be demonstrated in an example, the significance of an energy-momentum tensor for the locally covariant quantum field theory. Furthermore, we discuss the functorial properties of state spaces of locally covariant quantum field theories that entail the validity of the principle of local definiteness.

math-ph↗
arXiv1999

Microlocal Analysis and Interacting Quantum Field Theories: Renormalization on Physical Backgrounds

We present a perturbative construction of interacting quantum field theories on any smooth globally hyperbolic manifold. We develop a purely local version of the Stueckelberg-Bogoliubov-Epstein-Glaser method of renormalization using techniques from microlocal analysis. As byproducts, we describe a perturbative construction of local algebras of observables, present a new definition of Wick polynomials as operator-valued distributions on a natural domain, and we find a general method for the extension of distributions which were defined on the complement of some surfaces.

math-ph↗
arXiv1997

Interacting Quantum Fields on a Curved Background

A renormalized perturbative expansion of interacting quantum fields on a globally hyperbolic spacetime is performed by adapting the Bogoliubov Epstein Glaser method to a curved background. The results heavily rely on techniques from microlocal analysis, in particular on Radzikowski's characterization of Hadamard states by wave front sets of Wightman functions.

hep-th↗