Self-adjoint Operators as Functions I

• DOI: 10.1007/s00220-014-1991-3
• Publication Date: 2014-04-11T20:51:55Z
• Authors: Andreas Döring; Barry Dewitt
• Keywords: Von Neumann algebra; Self-adjoint operator

Observables of a quantum system, described by self-adjoint operators in a von Neumann algebra or affiliated with it in the unbounded case, form a conditionally complete lattice when equipped with the spectral order. Using this order-theoretic structure, we develop a new perspective on quantum observables.