Extensions from within

Abstract

Inclusions and extensions lie at the heart of physics and mathematics. The most relevant kind of inclusion in quantum systems is that of a von Neumann subalgebra, which is the focus of this work. We propose an object intrinsic to a given algebra that indexes its potential extensions into larger algebras. We refer to this object as a spatial Q-system, since it is inspired by the Q-system construction of Longo and others that has been used to categorify finite index inclusions for properly infinite algebras. The spatial Q-system broadens the usefulness of the Q-system by extending its applicability to the context of possibly infinite index inclusions admitting only operator valued weights rather than conditional expectations. An immediate physical motivation for the spatial Q-system arises in the form of the crossed product, which is a method for extending a given algebra by the generators of a locally compact group which acts upon it. If the group in question is not finite, the inclusion of the original algebra into its crossed product will be of infinite index and admit only an operator valued weight. Such an extension cannot be described by a standard Q-system. The spatial Q-system covers this case and, in fact, may be regarded as a far reaching generalization of the crossed product in which an algebra is extended by a collection of operators that possess a closed product structure compatible with the original algebra, but need not generate a symmetry object. We comment upon the categorical interpretation of the spatial Q-system, and describe how it may be interpreted as instantiating a protocol for approximate, or non-isometric, quantum error correction or in terms of quantum reference frames. We conclude by identifying a series of physical applications including the study of generalized symmetries, non-perturbative quantum gravity, black hole evaporation and interiors, and holography.