Bound States as Emergent Quantum Structures

Abstract

Bound states arise in many interactions among elementary field states, and are represented by poles in the scattering matrix. The emergent nature of bound states suggests that they play a perhaps under-appreciated role in specifying the ontologically relevant degrees of freedom pertaining to composite systems. The basics of this ontology are presented, and it is discussed in light of an example of Arsenijevi\' c et al.