Luca Marchetti
November 2025
Quantum Reference Frames 2025 (OIST workshop)
The workshop at Okinawa Institute for Science and Technology (OIST) focused on the rapidly developing field of quantum reference frames (QRFs), which provide a universal framework for dealing with symmetries in quantum systems and for describing physics “from the inside.” QRFs play a central role across diverse areas of fundamental physics, from quantum gravity and gauge theories to quantum information and quantum foundations. The event gathered representatives of different approaches and disciplines in which quantum frames naturally appear, to discuss recent advances, compare methodologies, and foster connections between the various communities working on QRFs. The workshop included contributed talks, discussions, a poster session, and some social activity.
Scientific discussions centered on several key themes. Participants examined different formulations of QRFs—among them operational, perspectival, and perspective-neutral—highlighting their applications in distinct physical systems, as well as their conceptual similarities and differences. The use of QRFs in quantum mechanical and quantum information settings was explored, with particular attention to their implications for foundational issues such as the definition of quantum probabilities, exchange statistics, and unitarity.
Recent progress in constructing QRFs for field theories was presented, both for gauge theories and for gravity. In the latter case, developments were discussed in perturbative and non-perturbative formulations, using operatorial, path-integral, and algebraic frameworks. Finally, the workshop featured discussions on the use of QRFs in the construction of relational regional algebras and entropies, emphasizing their deep connections with edge modes and the broader question of relational observables in quantum gravity.
Click here to access the talks via the workshop website.