Relational observables in group field theory

Abstract

We construct relational observables in group field theory (GFT) in terms of covariant positive operator-valued measures (POVMs), using techniques developed in the context of quantum reference frames (QRFs). We focus on matter QRFs; this can be generalized to other types of frames within the same POVM-based framework. The resulting family of relational observables provides a covariant framework to extract localized observables from GFT, which is typically defined in a perspective-neutral way. Then, we compare this formalism with previous proposals for relational observables in GFT. We find that our QRF-based relational observables overcome the intrinsic limitations of previous proposals while reproducing the same continuum limit results concerning expectation values of the number and volume operators on coherent states. Nonetheless, there can be important differences for more complex operators, as well as for other types of GFT states. Finally, we also use a specific class of POVMs to show how to project states and operators from the more general perspective-neutral GFT Fock space to a perspective-dependent one where a scalar matter field plays the role of a relational clock.