Any Lorentz-invariant local quantum field theory is invariant under the combined operation of charge conjugation, parity inversion and time reversal, applied together. A foundational result of relativistic quantum field theory, it underlies the prediction that every particle has an antiparticle with identical mass.
Facts
StatementThe theorem states that any Lorentz invariant local quantum field theory with a Hermitian Hamiltonian must have combined charge conjugation, parity inversion and time reversal symmetry, taken together. 1 Proof YearSchwinger's 1951 work carried the result implicitly. Luders and Pauli gave explicit proofs in 1954, matched independently around the same time by Bell, and Jost gave a more general proof in 1958. Classification
Statement FormCharacterization Theorem 1 Connections
Has Statement Form
Entity-backed identity for the statement-form enum value this theorem already carries, resolved to a mathematics concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The statement-form fact itself stays on the theorem unchanged.
In Branch
Sources
1. CPT Theorem (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia, CPT symmetry, lead section
The CPT theorem says that CPT symmetry holds for all physical phenomena, or more precisely, that any Lorentz invariant local quantum field theory with a Hermitian Hamiltonian must have CPT symmetry.
Wikipedia, CPT symmetry, History section
In 1954, Gerhart Lüders and Wolfgang Pauli derived more explicit proofs, so this theorem is sometimes known as the Lüders-Pauli theorem.
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