Superluminal Quantum Reference Frames

TL;DR

This paper explores the extension of quantum reference frames to include superluminal Lorentz transformations, analyzing implications for energy paradoxes and Bell experiments, and challenging traditional constraints on faster-than-light phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework for superluminal quantum reference frames and examines their effects on energy and quantum correlations, bridging quantum theory and relativity.

Findings

Superluminal Lorentz transformations can be incorporated into quantum reference frames.

Particles can acquire negative energies after superluminal boosts, with proposed resolutions.

Probabilities in Bell experiments remain conserved under superluminal transformations.

Abstract

While particles cannot travel faster than the speed of light, nor can information, this assumption has over the years been frequently questioned. Most recently, it has been argued [New J. Phys. 22, 033038 (2020)] that in a world with superluminal observers local determinism is impossible, linking the two pillars of physics-quantum theory and relativity-suggesting that the latter serves as the foundation for the former. Motivated by this approach, in this work, we extend the framework of quantum reference frames to incorporate superluminal Lorentz transformations. We apply this conceptual result to examine an apparent paradox where particles acquire negative energies after undergoing a superluminal Lorentz boost and propose a resolution within our framework. We also discuss Bell experiments under superluminal quantum reference frame transformations, showing that involved probabilities remain conserved.