2014/04/19 by Roberts, Bryan W.
#FOS: Physical sciences #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #Mathematical Physics (math-ph) #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1404.4961
I propose a general geometric framework in which to discuss the existence of time observables. This frameworks allows one to describe a local sense in which time observables always exist, and a global sense in which they can sometimes exist subject to a restriction on the vector fields that they generate. Pauli's prohibition on quantum time observables is derived as a corollary to this result. I will then discuss how time observables can be regained in modest extensions of quantum theory beyond its standard formulation.