The Uncertainty of Fluxes

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dc.creatorFreed, Daniel S.
dc.creatorMoore, Gregory W.
dc.creatorSegal, Graeme
dc.date2006-05-19
dc.date2006-08-22
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T10:42:22Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T10:42:22Z
dc.descriptionIn the ordinary quantum Maxwell theory of a free electromagnetic field, formulated on a curved 3-manifold, we observe that magnetic and electric fluxes cannot be simultaneously measured. This uncertainty principle reflects torsion: fluxes modulo torsion can be simultaneously measured. We also develop the Hamilton theory of self-dual fields, noting that they are quantized by Pontrjagin self-dual cohomology theories and that the quantum Hilbert space is Z/2-graded, so typically contains both bosonic and fermionic states. Significantly, these ideas apply to the Ramond-Ramond field in string theory, showing that its K-theory class cannot be measured.
dc.description33 pages; minor modifications for publication in Commun. Math. Phys
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0605198
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0605198
dc.identifierCommun.Math.Phys.271:247-274,2007
dc.identifierdoi:10.1007/s00220-006-0181-3
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/181921
dc.subjectHigh Energy Physics - Theory
dc.subjectMathematical Physics
dc.subjectAlgebraic Topology
dc.titleThe Uncertainty of Fluxes
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