Laura Ruetsche
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199535408
- eISBN:
- 9780191728525
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199535408.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter aspires to be an unpunishing introduction to mathematical notions useful for framing and pursuing foundational questions that arise from the unitary inequivalent representations ...
More
This chapter aspires to be an unpunishing introduction to mathematical notions useful for framing and pursuing foundational questions that arise from the unitary inequivalent representations available in QM∞. One such notion is that of an abstract C* algebra, which turns out to capture the structure common to all unitarily inequivalent representations of the CCRs/CARs quantizing a theory of QM∞.Less
This chapter aspires to be an unpunishing introduction to mathematical notions useful for framing and pursuing foundational questions that arise from the unitary inequivalent representations available in QM∞. One such notion is that of an abstract C* algebra, which turns out to capture the structure common to all unitarily inequivalent representations of the CCRs/CARs quantizing a theory of QM∞.
Robert Alicki and Mark Fannes
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198504009
- eISBN:
- 9780191708503
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198504009.003.0005
- Subject:
- Physics, Theoretical, Computational, and Statistical Physics
This chapter introduces an abstract algebraic language unifying the description of classical systems, finite quantum systems, and infinite ones, the last appearing in particle and statistical ...
More
This chapter introduces an abstract algebraic language unifying the description of classical systems, finite quantum systems, and infinite ones, the last appearing in particle and statistical physics. In the first part, the general theory of C*-algebras is presented and illustrated by the following examples: general finite dimensional algebras, Abelian algebras and Gelfand's theorem, UHF-algebras, and algebras generated by group representations such as the CCR-algebra arising from the Heisenberg group. Then the theory of states on C*-algebras leading to the GNS-representation in terms of operators on Hilbert spaces is outlined. The basic notion of algebraic dynamical system is given in terms of automorphisms on a C*-algebra of observables and the link to the Hilbert space formalism based on unitary operators is provided by the theory of von Neumann algebras. The examples of the Koopman formalism and the rotation algebra are worked out.Less
This chapter introduces an abstract algebraic language unifying the description of classical systems, finite quantum systems, and infinite ones, the last appearing in particle and statistical physics. In the first part, the general theory of C*-algebras is presented and illustrated by the following examples: general finite dimensional algebras, Abelian algebras and Gelfand's theorem, UHF-algebras, and algebras generated by group representations such as the CCR-algebra arising from the Heisenberg group. Then the theory of states on C*-algebras leading to the GNS-representation in terms of operators on Hilbert spaces is outlined. The basic notion of algebraic dynamical system is given in terms of automorphisms on a C*-algebra of observables and the link to the Hilbert space formalism based on unitary operators is provided by the theory of von Neumann algebras. The examples of the Koopman formalism and the rotation algebra are worked out.
