The Case for a Quantum Theory on a Hilbert Space with an Inner Product of Indefinite Signature

We present the theoretical considerations for the case of looking into a generalization of quantum theory corresponding to having an inner product with an indefinite signature on the Hilbert space. The latter is essentially a direct analog of having the Minkowski spacetime with an indefinite signature generalizing the metric geometry of the Newtonian space. In fact, the explicit physics setting we have in mind is exactly a Lorentz covariant formulation of quantum mechanics, which has been discussed in the literature for over half a century yet without a nice full picture. From the point of view of the Lorentz symmetry, indefiniteness of the norm for a Minkowski vector may be the exact correspondence of the indefiniteness of the norm for a quantum state vector on the relevant Hilbert space. That, of course, poses a challenge to the usual requirement of unitarity. The related issues will be addressed.

Observables and Dynamics Quantum to Classical from a Relativity Symmetry and Noncommutative-Geometric Perspective

With approaching quantum/noncommutative models for the deep microscopic spacetime in mind, and inspired by our recent picture of the (projective) Hilbert space as the model of physical space behind basic quantum mechanics, we reformulate here the WWGM formalism starting from the canonical coherent states and taking wavefunctions as expansion coefficients in terms of this basis. This provides us with a transparent and coherent story of simple quantum dynamics where both the wavefunctions for the pure states and operators acting on them arise from the single space/algebra, which exactly includes the WWGM observable algebra. Altogether, putting the emphasis on building our theory out of the underlying relativity symmetry—the centrally extended Galilean symmetry in the case at hand—allows one to naturally derive both a kinematical and a dynamical description of a quantum particle, which moreover recovers the corresponding classical picture (understood in terms of the Koopman-von Neumann formalism) in the appropriate (relativity symmetry contraction) limit. Our formulation here is the most natural framework directly connecting all of the relevant mathematical notions and we hope it may help a general physicist better visualize and appreciate the noncommutative-geometric perspective behind quantum physics. It also helps to inspire and illustrate our perspective on looking at quantum mechanics and quantum physics in general in direct connection to the notion of quantum (deformed) relativity symmetries and the corresponding quantum/noncommutative models of spacetime as various levels of approximations all the way down to the Newtonian.