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Reeh-Schlieder Theorem

Mathematical Physics

The Reeh-Schlieder Theorem states that, in the axiomatic formulation of quantum field theory, the vacuum state is cyclic for the algebra of observables localized in any bounded region of spacetime, however small, meaning applying operators drawn only from that small region to the vacuum can approximate any state in the entire Hilbert space. Named for Helmut Reeh and Siegfried Schlieder, it is a striking and much-discussed consequence of locality and the spectrum condition, showing that local field-theoretic observables carry global information about the state.

Facts
Statement
The vacuum state is a cyclic vector for the field algebra corresponding to any open set in Minkowski space. 1
Proof Year
1961 1
Classification
Statement Form
Characterization Theorem 1
Sources
1. Reeh-Schlieder theorem (Wikipedia)
  • Lead section, statement of the theorem
    The theorem states that the vacuum state is a cyclic vector for the field algebra A(O) corresponding to any open set O in Minkowski space.
  • Lead section, publication note
    published by Helmut Reeh and Siegfried Schlieder in 1961
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