9 research outputs found
Signature change events: A challenge for quantum gravity?
Within the framework of either Euclidian (functional-integral) quantum
gravity or canonical general relativity the signature of the manifold is a
priori unconstrained. Furthermore, recent developments in the emergent
spacetime programme have led to a physically feasible implementation of
signature change events. This suggests that it is time to revisit the sometimes
controversial topic of signature change in general relativity. Specifically, we
shall focus on the behaviour of a quantum field subjected to a manifold
containing regions of different signature. We emphasise that, regardless of the
underlying classical theory, there are severe problems associated with any
quantum field theory residing on a signature-changing background. (Such as the
production of what is naively an infinite number of particles, with an infinite
energy density.) From the viewpoint of quantum gravity phenomenology, we
discuss possible consequences of an effective Lorentz symmetry breaking scale.
To more fully understand the physics of quantum fields exposed to finite
regions of Euclidean-signature (Riemannian) geometry, we show its similarities
with the quantum barrier penetration problem, and the super-Hubble horizon
modes encountered in cosmology. Finally we raise the question as to whether
signature change transitions could be fully understood and dynamically
generated within (modified) classical general relativity, or whether they
require the knowledge of a full theory of quantum gravity.Comment: 33 pages. 4 figures; V2: 3 references added, no physics changes; V3:
now 24 pages - significantly shortened - argument simplified and more focused
- no physics changes - this version accepted for publication in Classical and
Quantum Gravit
More about Birkhoff's Invariant and Thorne's Hoop Conjecture for Horizons
A recent precise formulation of the hoop conjecture in four spacetime
dimensions is that the Birkhoff invariant (the least maximal length of
any sweepout or foliation by circles) of an apparent horizon of energy and
area should satisfy . This conjecture together with the
Cosmic Censorship or Isoperimetric inequality implies that the length of
the shortest non-trivial closed geodesic satisfies . We have
tested these conjectures on the horizons of all four-charged rotating black
hole solutions of ungauged supergravity theories and find that they always
hold. They continue to hold in the the presence of a negative cosmological
constant, and for multi-charged rotating solutions in gauged supergravity.
Surprisingly, they also hold for the Ernst-Wild static black holes immersed in
a magnetic field, which are asymptotic to the Melvin solution. In five
spacetime dimensions we define as the least maximal area of all
sweepouts of the horizon by two-dimensional tori, and find in all cases
examined that , which we conjecture holds
quiet generally for apparent horizons. In even spacetime dimensions ,
we find that for sweepouts by the product , is
bounded from above by a certain dimension-dependent multiple of the energy .
We also find that is bounded from above by a certain
dimension-dependent multiple of the horizon area . Finally, we show that
is bounded from above by a certain dimension-dependent multiple of
the energy, for all Kerr-AdS black holes.Comment: 25 page
Asymptotic Safety, Emergence and Minimal Length
There seems to be a common prejudice that asymptotic safety is either
incompatible with, or at best unrelated to, the other topics in the title. This
is not the case. In fact, we show that 1) the existence of a fixed point with
suitable properties is a promising way of deriving emergent properties of
gravity, and 2) there is a sense in which asymptotic safety implies a minimal
length. In so doing we also discuss possible signatures of asymptotic safety in
scattering experiments.Comment: LaTEX, 20 pages, 2 figures; v.2: minor changes, reflecting published
versio
Quantum Spacetime Phenomenology
I review the current status of phenomenological programs inspired by
quantum-spacetime research. I stress in particular the significance of results
establishing that certain data analyses provide sensitivity to effects
introduced genuinely at the Planck scale. And my main focus is on
phenomenological programs that managed to affect the directions taken by
studies of quantum-spacetime theories.Comment: 125 pages, LaTex. This V2 is updated and more detailed than the V1,
particularly for quantum-spacetime phenomenology. The main text of this V2 is
about 25% more than the main text of the V1. Reference list roughly double