Mass as a relativistic quantum observable

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1997 EDP Sciences
, , Citation M.-T. Jaekel and S. Reynaud 1997 EPL 38 1 DOI 10.1209/epl/i1997-00108-7

0295-5075/38/1/1

Abstract

A field state containing photons propagating in different directions has a non-vanishing mass which is a quantum observable. We interpret the shift of this mass under transformations to accelerated frames as defining space-time observables canonically conjugated to energy-momentum observables. Shifts of quantum observables differ from the predictions of classical relativity theory in the presence of a non-vanishing spin. In particular, quantum redshift of energy-momentum is affected by spin. Shifts of position and energy-momentum observables however obey simple universal rules derived from invariance of canonical commutators.

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10.1209/epl/i1997-00108-7