Indefinite probabilities in quantum spacetime: A deepening of unpredictability

Abstract

Non-commutative spacetime and quantum groups have been argued to capture non-classical features of spacetime and its symmetries in quantum gravity. In this letter, we show that employing the $S{U}_q(2)$ quantum group to describe rotational symmetry for spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ systems and Stern-Gerlach apparatuses leads to the description of probabilities of outcomes of spin measurements in terms of non-commuting operators. As a result, we obtain an uncertainty principle between different probability operators, realising a notion of indefinite probabilities. This is then reflected in the non-commutativity of the entries of the rotation matrix relating the reference frames of two observers, hence fundamentally preventing them from sharply measuring their relative orientation.

7 pages + references and appendices; minor changes in the main text, an image and an appendix are added in v2 and v3