Local Thermal Equilibrium States and Unruh Detectors in Quantum Field Theory

TL;DR

This paper explores how Unruh-DeWitt detectors can model idealized local thermal measurements in quantum field theory, linking measurement observables to local equilibrium states.

Contribution

It demonstrates that elements of the local measurement space can be reproduced using Unruh-DeWitt detectors, connecting measurement models with local thermodynamic equilibrium.

Findings

Unruh-DeWitt detectors can simulate local thermal measurement observables.

A link between measurement models and local equilibrium states is established.

The framework enhances understanding of local thermal properties in quantum fields.

Abstract

In the framework of local thermodynamic equilibrium by Buchholz, Ojima and Roos, a class S_x of observables, whose members are supposed to model idealized measurements of thermal properties of given states at spacetime points x, plays a crucial role in determining and characterizing local equilibrium states in quantum field theory. Here it will be shown how elements from this space can be reproduced by a specific model of the idealized measurements modeled by an Unruh-de Witt detector.