Bondi-Metzner-Sachs Particles
Xavier Bekaert, Laura Donnay, Yannick Herfray
Abstract
We construct wave functions for unitary irreducible representations (UIRs) of the Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) group, i.e., BMS particles, and show that they describe quantum superpositions of (Poincaré) particles propagating on inequivalent gravity vacua. This follows from reconsidering McCarthy's classification of BMS group UIRs through a unique, Lorentz-invariant, but nonlinear, decomposition of supermomenta into hard and soft pieces.
Topics & Concepts
PhysicsUnitary stateIrreducible representationIdentical particlesDecompositionConstruct (python library)Quantum mechanicsGroup (periodic table)QuantumTheoretical physicsWave functionGroup theoryClassical mechanicsElementary particleMathematical physicsPure mathematicsUnitary representationParticle (ecology)Quantum gravityBlack Holes and Theoretical PhysicsNoncommutative and Quantum Gravity TheoriesNonlinear Waves and Solitons