Algebraic quantum field theory
Algebraic quantum field theory is an application to local quantum physics of C*-algebra theory. Also referred to as the Haag–Kastler axiomatic framework for quantum field theory, because it was introduced by. The axioms are stated in terms of an algebra given for every open set in Minkowski space, and mappings between those.
Haag–Kastler axioms
Let be the set of all open and bounded subsets of Minkowski space. An algebraic quantum field theory is defined via a set of von Neumann algebras on a common Hilbert space satisfying the following axioms: Isotony: implies.Causality: If is space-like separated from, then.Poincaré covariance: A strongly continuous unitary representation of the Poincaré group on exists such that Spectrum condition: The joint spectrum of the energy-momentum operator is contained in the closed forward lightcone.Existence of a vacuum vector: A cyclic and Poincaré-invariant vector exists.The net algebras are called local algebras and the C* algebra is called the quasilocal algebra.
Category-theoretic formulation
Let Mink be the category of open subsets of Minkowski space M with inclusion maps as morphisms. We are given a covariant functor from Mink to uC*alg, the category of unital C* algebras, such that every morphism in Mink maps to a monomorphism in uC*alg.The Poincaré group acts continuously on Mink. There exists a pullback of this action, which is continuous in the norm topology of .
Minkowski space has a causal structure. If an open set V lies in the causal complement of an open set U, then the image of the maps
and
commute. If is the causal completion of an open set U, then is an isomorphism.
A state with respect to a C*-algebra is a positive linear functional over it with unit norm. If we have a state over, we can take the "partial trace" to get states associated with for each open set via the net monomorphism. The states over the open sets form a presheaf structure.
According to the GNS construction, for each state, we can associate a Hilbert space representation of Pure states correspond to irreducible representations and mixed states correspond to reducible representations. Each irreducible representation is called a superselection sector. We assume there is a pure state called the vacuum such that the Hilbert space associated with it is a unitary representation of the Poincaré group compatible with the Poincaré covariance of the net such that if we look at the Poincaré algebra, the spectrum with respect to energy-momentum lies on and in the positive light cone. This is the vacuum sector.