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Events and their Localisation are Relative to a Lab

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arxiv 2505.21797 v1 pith:YNR3ZMUW submitted 2025-05-27 quant-ph gr-qc

Events and their Localisation are Relative to a Lab

classification quant-ph gr-qc
keywords quantumeventslocalisationrelativereferenceassociatedclassicaldefine
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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The notions of events and their localisation fundamentally differ between quantum theory and general relativity, reconciling them becomes even more important and challenging in the context of quantum gravity where a classical spacetime background can no longer be assumed. We therefore propose an operational approach drawing from quantum information, to define events and their localisation relative to a Lab, which in particular includes a choice of physical degree of freedom (the reference) providing a generalised notion of "location". We define a property of the reference, relative measurability, that is sensitive to correlations between the Lab's reference and objects of study. Applying this proposal to analyse the quantum switch (QS), a process widely associated with indefinite causal order, we uncover differences between classical and quantum spacetime realisations of QS, rooted in the relative measurability of the associated references and possibilities for agents' interventions. Our analysis also clarifies a longstanding debate on the interpretation of QS experiments, demonstrating how different conclusions stem from distinct assumptions on the Labs. This provides a foundation for a more unified view of events, localisation, and causality across quantum and relativistic domains.

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Cited by 6 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

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  4. Error Correction in Lattice Quantum Electrodynamics with Quantum Reference Frames

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