[210.2.1] In general,
the set of observables of a physical system is
not only a Banach space, but forms an algebra, more specifically,
a C
-algebra [30].
[210.2.2] In classical physics this algebra is commutative.
[210.2.3] The states
of a physical system are
normalized, positive linear functionals
on its algebra of observables [30].
[210.2.4] As such they are elements of the dual space
.
[210.2.5] The notation
is used for
the value
of the observable
in the state
.
[210.2.6] Convex combinations of states are again states.
[210.2.7] If a state cannot be written as a convex combination
of other states, it is called pure.
[page 211, §0]
[211.0.1] Because the observable algebra
is a subset of its bidual,
,
its elements
can be considered as functions on the set
of its charactersd (This is a footnote:) d
A character is an algebraic *-homomorphism from a
commutative C
-algebra to
.,
i.e.
for
.
[211.0.2] By virtue of this correspondence, known as the Gelfand isomorphism
[30, 31],
a commutative C
-algebra is isomorphic to the
algebra
of continuous functions
on the set
of its characters equipped with
the weak
topology.
[211.0.3] Characters are pure states.
[211.1.1] The time evolution of states is obtained from
the time evolution of observables by passing
to adjoints [28, 32].
[211.1.2]
The adjoint time evolution
with
consists of all adjoint operators
on the dual space
[33, 28].
[211.1.3] If
denotes the state at time
,
then equation (8) implies
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![]() |
(9) | |
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where is arbitrary.
[211.1.4] For left translations the adjoint group
![]() |
(10) |
is the group of right translations with .
[211.1.5] The adjoint semigroup is weak
continuous,
but in general not strongly continuous, unless
the Banach space
is reflexive [32].