Local Lorentz covariance in finite-dimensional Local Quantum Physics

Abstract

We show that local Lorentz covariance arises canonically as the group of transformations between local thermal states in the framework of Local Quantum Physics, given the following three postulates: (i) Local observable algebras are finite-dimensional. (ii) Minimal local observable algebras are isomorphic to $\mathbb{M}_2(\mathbb{C})$, the observable algebra of a single qubit. (iii) The vacuum restricted to any minimal local observable algebra is a non-maximally mixed thermal state. The derivation reveals a new and surprising relation between spacetime structure and local quantum states. In particular, we show how local restrictions of the vacuum can determine the connection between different local inertial reference frames.