Skip to main content
Log in

More ado about nothing

  • Invited Papers Dedicated to Jean-Pierre Vigier
  • Published:
Foundations of Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper questions about vacuum fluctuations in local measurements, and the correlations between such fluctuations, are discussed. It is shown that maximal correlations always exist between suitably chosen local projection operators associated with spacelike separated regions of space-time, however far apart these regions may be. The connection of this result with the well-known Fregenhagen bound showing exponential decay of correlations with distance is explained, and the relevance of the discussion to the question “What do particle detectors detect?” is addressed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. E. M. Henley and W. Thirring,Elementary Quantum Field Theory (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1962), Chap. 5.

    Google Scholar 

  2. G. C. Hegerfeldt, “Remark on causality and particle localization,”Phys. Rev. D 10, 3320 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  3. G. N. Fleming, “Covariant position operators, spin, and locality,”Phys. Rev. 137, B188 (1965).

    Google Scholar 

  4. S. S. Horuzhy.Introduction to Algebraic Quantum Field Theory (Kluwer, Dordrecht. 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  5. R. Haag,Local Quantum Physics (Springer, Berlin, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  6. H. Reeh and S. Schlieder, “Bemerkungen zur Unitäräquivalenz von Lorentzinvarianten Feldern,”Nuovo Cimento 22, 1051 (1961).

    Google Scholar 

  7. W. Driessler, “Comments on lightlike translations and applications in relativistic quantum field theory,”Commun. Math. Phys. 44, 133 (1975).

    Google Scholar 

  8. K. E. Hellwig and K. Kraus, “Operations and measurements II,”Commun. Math. Phys. 16, 142 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  9. A. L. Licht, “Local states,”J. Math. Phys. 7, 1656 (1966).

    Google Scholar 

  10. K. Fredenhagen, “A remark on the cluster theorem,”Commun. Math. Phvs. 97, 461 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

  11. S. J. Summers and R. Werner, “The vacuum violates Bell's inequalities,”Phys. Lett. A 110, 257 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

  12. L. J. Landau, “On the violation of Bell's inequality in quantum theory,”Phvs. Lett. A 120, 54 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  13. L. J. Landau, “On the nonclassical structure of the vacuum,”Phys. Lett. A. 123, 115 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Redhead, M. More ado about nothing. Found Phys 25, 123–137 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02054660

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02054660

Keywords

Navigation