Quantum reference frames at the boundary of spacetime

Author(s)
Viktoria Kabel, Časlav Brukner, Wolfgang Wieland
Abstract

An analysis is given of the local phase space of gravity coupled to matter to second order in perturbation theory. Working in local regions with boundaries at finite distance, we identify matter, Coulomb, and additional boundary modes. The boundary modes take the role of reference frames for both diffeomorphisms and internal Lorentz rotations. Passing to the quantum level, we identify the constraints that link the bulk and boundary modes. The constraints take the form of a multifingered Schrödinger equation, which determines the relational evolution of the quantum states in the bulk with respect to the quantum reference fields for the local gravitational symmetries at the boundary. Taking the boundary to infinity, we obtain quantum reference frames for asymptotic symmetries.

Organisation(s)
Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
External organisation(s)
Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
Journal
Physical Review D
Volume
108
No. of pages
22
ISSN
2470-0010
DOI
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2302.11629
Publication date
11-2023
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103028 Theory of relativity, 103025 Quantum mechanics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/quantum-reference-frames-at-the-boundary-of-spacetime(7ea3ae25-c62f-461c-9d2f-7f4e3effb9e7).html