Quantum Mechanics in the Infrared

Abstract

This paper presents an algebraic formulation of the renormalization group flow in quantum mechanics on flat target spaces. For any interacting quantum mechanical theory, the fixed point of this flow is a theory of classical probability, not a different effective quantum mechanics. Each energy eigenstate of the UV Hamiltonian flows to a probability distribution whose entropy is a natural diagnostic of quantum ergodicity of the original state. These conclusions are supported by various examples worked out in some detail.