SUCCESSIVE OBSERVATIONS IN RELATIVISTIC QUANTUM THEORY
Mar, 197874 pages
Published in:
- J.Math.Phys. 20 (1979) 1593
DOI:
Report number:
- Print-78-0239 (MADRAS)
View in:
Citations per year
Abstract: (AIP)
Relativistic quantum theory is formulated as a theory of successive local observations, consistent with all the fundamental requirements of relativistic invariance. Based on the causal structure of the space–time of special relativity, it is argued that the nonrelativistic notion of a ’’time‐ordered sequence of instantaneous observations’’should be replaced in a relativistic theory by the notion of a ’’causally ordered sequence of local observations.’’ The fundamental statistical law of relativistic quantum theory is then formulated such that it provides an unambigous prescription for the statistical correlations between the outcomes of any causally ordered sequence of local observations. It is also shown that the fundamental statistical law of the theory is consistent with the so‐called ’’principle of local causes’’ which essentially states that the probability connections between a set of local events do not depend on local observations carried out in space–time regions which lie outside of their causal past. Finally, an equivalent formulation of the theory in terms of a relativistically covariant generalization of the collapse postulate is presented.- QUANTUM MECHANICS: RELATIVISTIC
- INVARIANCE: LORENTZ
- QUANTUM MECHANICS: CAUSALITY
- QUANTUM MECHANICS: MEASUREMENT
- STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
References(28)
Figures(0)