  The problem of representing text documents within an Information Retrieval
system is formulated as an analogy to the problem of representing the quantum
states of a physical system. Lexical measurements of text are proposed as a way
of representing documents which are akin to physical measurements on quantum
states. Consequently, the representation of the text is only known after
measurements have been made, and because the process of measuring may destroy
parts of the text, the document is characterised through erasure. The
mathematical foundations of such a quantum representation of text are provided
in this position paper as a starting point for indexing and retrieval within a
``quantum like'' Information Retrieval system.
