symmetric monoidal (∞,1)-category of spectra
algebraic quantum field theory (perturbative, on curved spacetimes, homotopical)
quantum mechanical system, quantum probability
interacting field quantization
For a an associative algebra, not necessarily commutative, its collection of commutative subalgebras is naturally a poset under inclusion of subalgebras.
Various authors have proposed (Butterfield-Hamilton-Isham, Döring-Isham, Heunen-Landsmann-Spitters) that for the case that is a C-star algebra the noncommutative geometry of the formal dual space of may be understood as a commutative geometry internal to a sheaf topos over or its opposite . An advantage of the latter is that becomes a compact regular locale.
Specifically, consider the case that the algebra is that of bounded operators on a Hilbert space. This is interpreted as an algebra of quantum observables and the commutative subalgebras are then “classical contexts”.
Applying Bohrification to this situation (see there for more discussion), one finds that the locale internal to behaves like the noncommutative phase space of a system of quantum mechanics, which however internally looks like an ordinary commutative geometry. Various statements about operator algebra then have geometric analogs in .
Notably the Kochen-Specker theorem says that , while nontrivial, has no points/no global elements. (This topos-theoretic geometric reformulation of the Kochen-Specker theorem had been the original motivation for considering in the first place in ButterfieldIsham).
Moreover, inside the quantum mechanical kinematics encoded by looks like classical mechanics kinematics internal to (HeunenLandsmannSpitters, following DöringIsham):
the open subsets of are identified with the quantum states on . Their collection forms the Heyting algebra of quantum logic.
observables are morphisms of internal locales , where is the interval domain?.
The assignment to a noncommutative algebra of a locale internal to has been called Bohrification, in honor of Nils Bohr whose heuristic writings about the nature of quantum mechanics as being probed by classical (= commutative) context one may argue is being formalized by this construction.
The poset of commutative subalgebras is always an (unbounded) meet-semilattice. If itself is commutative then it is a bounded meet semilattice, with itself being the top element.
For an associative algebra write for its corresponding Jordan algebra, where the commutative product is the symmetrization of the product in : .
There exist von Neumann algebras , such that there exists a Jordan algebra isomorphism but not an algebra isomorphism .
By
there is a von Neumann algebra factor with no algebra isomorphism to its opposite algebra . But clearly .
Let be von Neumann algebras without a type -von Neumann algebra factor-summand and let , be their posets of commutative sub-von Neumann algebras.
Then every isomorphism of posets comes from a unique Jordan algebra isomorphism .
This is the theorem in (Harding-Döring).
There is a generalization of this theorem to more general C-star algebras in (Hamhalter).
For more on this see at Harding-Döring-Hamhalter theorem.
This is related to the Alfsen-Shultz theorem, which says that two -algebras have the same states precisely if they are Jordan-isomorphic.
For a C-star algebra, write for its poset of sub--algebras. Write
for the presheaf topos on . This is alse called the Bohr topos.
This opposite order on commutative subalgebras may be seen as the information order from Kripke semantics: a larger subalgebra contains more information. In this light the presheaf topos on , as used by (Döring-Isham 07) and co-workers, may be seen as the co-Kripke model. This model is also referred to as the coarse-graining semantics of quantum mechanics. See also at spectral presheaf.
The topos is a localic topos.
Because is a posite.
The presheaf
where is the underlying set of the commutative subalgebra , is canonically a commutative -algebra internal to .
This is (HeunenLandsmanSpitters, theorem 5).
By the constructive Gelfand duality theorem there is uniquely a locale internal to such that is the internal commutative -algebra of functions on .
This observation is amplified in (HeunenLandsmanSpitters).
If is the algebra of bounded operators on a Hilbert space of dimension , then then Kochen-Specker theorem implies that has no points/no global element.
This is (HeunenLandsmanSpitters, theorem 6), following (Butterfield-Hamilton-Isham).
The proposal that the the noncommutative geometry of is fruitfully studied via the commutative geometry over goes back to
Jeremy Butterfield, John Hamilton, Chris Isham, A topos perspective on the Kochen-Specker theorem
I. quantum states as generalized valuations International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 37(11):2669–2733, 1998.
II. conceptual aspects and classical analogues International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 38(3):827–859, 1999
III. Von Neumann algebras as the base category International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 39(6):1413–1436, 2000.
The proposal that the non-commutativity of the phase space in quantum mechanics is fruitfully understood in the light of this has been amplified in a series of articles
The presheaf topos on (Bohr topos) and its internal localic Gelfand dual to is discussed in
See also higher category theory and physics.
The relation to Jordan algebras of is discussed in
for a von Neumann algebra and more generally for a C*-algebra in
See at Harding-Döring-Hamhalter theorem.
Last revised on October 17, 2018 at 05:31:11. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.