PIRSA:14030114

Are superselection rules fundamental?

APA

Spekkens, R. (2014). Are superselection rules fundamental?. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. https://pirsa.org/14030114

MLA

Spekkens, Robert. Are superselection rules fundamental?. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Mar. 14, 2014, https://pirsa.org/14030114

BibTex

          @misc{ scivideos_PIRSA:14030114,
            doi = {10.48660/14030114},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/14030114},
            author = {Spekkens, Robert},
            keywords = {Quantum Matter},
            language = {en},
            title = {Are superselection rules fundamental?},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics},
            year = {2014},
            month = {mar},
            note = {PIRSA:14030114 see, \url{https://scivideos.org/pirsa/14030114}}
          }
          

Robert Spekkens Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Talk numberPIRSA:14030114
Source RepositoryPIRSA
Collection

Abstract

Superselection rules in quantum theory assert the impossibility of preparing coherent superpositions of certain conserved quantities. For instance, it is commonly presumed that there is a superselection rule for charge and for baryon number, as well as a "univalence superselection rule" forbidding a coherent superposition of a fermion and a boson. I will show how many superselection rules can be effectively lifted using a reference frame for the variable that is conjugate to the conserved quantity. I will also discuss subtleties related to the univalence superselection rule.