3 research outputs found
Categorical formulation of quantum algebras
We describe how dagger-Frobenius monoids give the correct categorical
description of certain kinds of finite-dimensional 'quantum algebras'. We
develop the concept of an involution monoid, and use it to construct a
correspondence between finite-dimensional C*-algebras and certain types of
dagger-Frobenius monoids in the category of Hilbert spaces. Using this
technology, we recast the spectral theorems for commutative C*-algebras and for
normal operators into an explicitly categorical language, and we examine the
case that the results of measurements do not form finite sets, but rather
objects in a finite Boolean topos. We describe the relevance of these results
for topological quantum field theory.Comment: 34 pages, to appear in Communications in Mathematical Physic