Causality as an emergent macroscopic phenomenon: The Lee-Wick O(N) model

Journal Article · Fri May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.79.105019· OSTI ID:21296382

Grinstein, Benjamin ^[1]; O'Connell, Donal ^[2]; Wise, Mark B ^[3]

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1. Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)
2. School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (United States)
3. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)

In quantum mechanics the deterministic property of classical physics is an emergent phenomenon appropriate only on macroscopic scales. Lee and Wick introduced Lorentz invariant quantum theories where causality is an emergent phenomenon appropriate for macroscopic time scales. In this paper we analyze a Lee-Wick version of the O(N) model. We argue that in the large-N limit this theory has a unitary and Lorentz invariant S matrix and is therefore free of paradoxes in scattering experiments. We discuss some of its acausal properties.

• OSTI ID: 21296382
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 79, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.79.105019; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CAUSALITY
LORENTZ INVARIANCE
MANY-BODY PROBLEM
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM MECHANICS
S MATRIX
SCATTERING
SIMULATION