Abstract
We pose and resolve a puzzle about spontaneous symmetry breaking in the quantum theory of infinite systems. For a symmetry to be spontaneously broken, it must not be implementable by a unitary operator in a ground state's GNS representation. But Wigner's theorem guarantees that any symmetry's action on states is given by a unitary operator. How can this unitary operator fail to implement the symmetry in the GNS representation? We show how it is possible for a unitary operator of this sort to connect the folia of unitarily inequivalent representations. This result undermines interpretations of quantum theory that hold unitary equivalence to be necessary for physical equivalence.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 464-469 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2013 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- History
- General Physics and Astronomy
- History and Philosophy of Science
Keywords
- Inequivalent representations
- Quantum field theory
- Spontaneous symmetry breaking
- Wigner's theorem