Operational quantum logic: An overview

Abstract

The term quantum logic has different connotations for different people, having been considered as everything from a metaphysical attack on classical reasoning to an exercise in abstract algebra. Our aim here is to give a uniform presentation of what we call operational quantum logic, highlighting both its concrete physical origins and its purely mathematical structure. To orient readers new to this subject, we shall recount some of the historical development of quantum logic, attempting to show how the physical and mathematical sides of the subject have influenced and enriched one another.

32 pages; Rewritten version of the introductory chapter to the volume 'Current Research in Operational Quantum Logic: Algebras, Categories, Languages', Fundamental Theories of Physics 111, Kluwer Academic Publishers (2000); updated 1-5-2001