Classical and Quantum Constraints in Spin Physics

Constraints on spin observables coming from discrete symmetries such as P, C, T and identical particles may be divided in two types: 1) classical ones, which insure the invariance of the cross sections under the symmetry operation; 2) non-classical ones, which can only be obtained at the level of amplitudes. Similarly, positivity constraints can be divided into classical and non-classical constraints. The former insure the positivity of the cross section for arbitrary individual polarisations of the external particles, the latter extend this requirement to the case of entangled external spins. The domain of classical positivity is shown to be dual to the domain of separability. 1 The spin observables We consider the polarised 2× 2 reaction