Unitary equivalence in generalized uncertainty principle theories

We analyze the issue of unitary equivalence within Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) theories in the one-dimensional case. For a deformed Heisenberg algebra, its representation in terms of Hilbert space and conjugate operators is not uniquely determined, raising the question of whether different realizations of the same algebra are equivalent and describe the same physics. After proposing a definition of a quantum GUP theory, we establish conditions for unitary equivalence. Using this framework, we rigorously prove that two commonly used representations are unitarily equivalent, specifying the conditions under which this equivalence holds. We demonstrate this equivalence explicitly by providing a unitary map and showing how both GUP formulations yield the same physical results in two examples: the quantum harmonic oscillator and a free-falling particle. Finally, we discuss a case in which equivalence fails, suggesting that a generalization of the Stone-von Neumann theorem may not be possible within the GUP framework under our definition of unitary equivalence.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nuclear Physics B
Published
2026-01-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2026.117294
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Probabilistic and Robust Engineering Design
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
28.09
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article

Unitary equivalence in generalized uncertainty principle theories

Sebastiano Segreto, Matteo Bruno
1 citations
Nuclear Physics B
Probabilistic and Robust Engineering Design
28.09
article

Unitary equivalence in generalized uncertainty principle theories

Sebastiano Segreto, Matteo Bruno
article en
1 citations

Abstract

We analyze the issue of unitary equivalence within Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) theories in the one-dimensional case. For a deformed Heisenberg algebra, its representation in terms of Hilbert space and conjugate operators is not uniquely determined, raising the question of whether different realizations of the same algebra are equivalent and describe the same physics. After proposing a definition of a quantum GUP theory, we establish conditions for unitary equivalence. Using this framework, we rigorously prove that two commonly used representations are unitarily equivalent, specifying the conditions under which this equivalence holds. We demonstrate this equivalence explicitly by providing a unitary map and showing how both GUP formulations yield the same physical results in two examples: the quantum harmonic oscillator and a free-falling particle. Finally, we discuss a case in which equivalence fails, suggesting that a generalization of the Stone-von Neumann theorem may not be possible within the GUP framework under our definition of unitary equivalence.

Nuclear Physics BVol. 1023
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Probabilistic and Robust Engineering Design
28.09
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