148 research outputs found
Creation of unstable particles and decoherence in semiclassical cosmology
We consider a simple cosmological model in order to show the importance of
unstable particle creation for the validity of the semiclassical approximation.
Using the mathematical structure of rigged Hilbert spaces we show that particle
creation is the seed of decoherence which enables the quantum to classical
transition.Comment: latex file; 18 pages. Some changes have been added. To appear in Gen.
Rel. and Gra
The arrow of time: from universe time-asymmetry to local irreversible processes
In several previous papers we have argued for a global and non-entropic
approach to the problem of the arrow of time, according to which the ''arrow''
is only a metaphorical way of expressing the geometrical time-asymmetry of the
universe. We have also shown that, under definite conditions, this global
time-asymmetry can be transferred to local contexts as an energy flow that
points to the same temporal direction all over the spacetime. The aim of this
paper is to complete the global and non-entropic program by showing that our
approach is able to account for irreversible local phenomena, which have been
traditionally considered as the physical origin of the arrow of time.Comment: 48 pages, 8 figures, revtex4. Accepted for publication in Foundations
of Physic
Is the decoherence of a system the result of its interaction with the environment?
According to a usual reading, decoherence is a process resulting from the
interaction between a small system and its large environment where information
and energy are dissipated. The particular models treated in the literature on
the subject reinforce this idea since, in general, the behavior of a particle
immersed in a large "bath" composed by many particles is studied. The aim of
this letter is to warn against this usual simplified reading. By means of the
analysis of a well-known model, we will show that decoherence may occur in a
system interacting with an environment consisting of only one particle.Comment: 4 Pages, 5 Figure
Addemdum to: ''The Mathematical Structure of Quantum Superspace as a Consequence of Time Asymmetry''
In this paper we improve the results of sec. VI of paper [M. Castagnino,
Phys. Rev. D 57, 750 (1998)] by considering that the main source of entropy
production are the photospheres of the stars
Decoherence, Correlation, and Unstable Quantum States in Semiclassical Cosmology
It is demonstrated that almost any S-matrix of quantum field theory in curved
spaces posses an infinite set of complex poles (or branch cuts). These poles
can be transformed into complex eigenvalues, the corresponding eigenvectors
being Gamow vectors. All this formalism, which is heuristic in ordinary Hilbert
space, becomes a rigorous one within the framework of a properly chosen rigged
Hilbert space. Then complex eigenvalues produce damping or growing factors. It
is known that the growth of entropy, decoherence, and the appearance of
correlations, occur in the universe evolution, but only under a restricted set
of initial conditions. It is proved that the damping factors allow to enlarge
this set up to almost any initial conditions.Comment: 19 pgs. Latex fil
Thermodynamic Limit and Decoherence: Rigorous Results
Time evolution operator in quantum mechanics can be changed into a
statistical operator by a Wick rotation. This strict relation between
statistical mechanics and quantum evolution can reveal deep results when the
thermodynamic limit is considered. These results translate in a set of theorems
proving that these effects can be effectively at work producing an emerging
classical world without recurring to any external entity that in some cases
cannot be properly defined. In a many-body system has been recently shown that
Gaussian decay of the coherence is the rule with a duration of recurrence more
and more small as the number of particles increases. This effect has been
observed experimentally. More generally, a theorem about coherence of bulk
matter can be proved. All this takes us to the conclusion that a well definite
boundary for the quantum to classical world does exist and that can be drawn by
the thermodynamic limit, extending in this way the deep link between
statistical mechanics and quantum evolution to a high degree.Comment: 5 pages, no figures. Contribution to proceedings of DICE 2006
(Piombino, Italy, September 11-15, 2006
Theory of gravitation theories: a no-progress report
Already in the 1970s there where attempts to present a set of ground rules,
sometimes referred to as a theory of gravitation theories, which theories of
gravity should satisfy in order to be considered viable in principle and,
therefore, interesting enough to deserve further investigation. From this
perspective, an alternative title of the present paper could be ``why are we
still unable to write a guide on how to propose viable alternatives to general
relativity?''. Attempting to answer this question, it is argued here that
earlier efforts to turn qualitative statements, such as the Einstein
Equivalence Principle, into quantitative ones, such as the metric postulates,
stand on rather shaky grounds -- probably contrary to popular belief -- as they
appear to depend strongly on particular representations of the theory. This
includes ambiguities in the identification of matter and gravitational fields,
dependence of frequently used definitions, such as those of the stress-energy
tensor or classical vacuum, on the choice of variables, etc. Various examples
are discussed and possible approaches to this problem are pointed out. In the
course of this study, several common misconceptions related to the various
forms of the Equivalence Principle, the use of conformal frames and equivalence
between theories are clarified.Comment: Invited paper in the Gravity Research Foundation 2007 special issue
to be published by Int. J. Mod. Phys.
New bases for a general definition for the moving preferred basis
One of the challenges of the Environment-Induced Decoherence (EID) approach
is to provide a simple general definition of the moving pointer basis or moving
preferred basis. In this letter we prove that the study of the poles that
produce the decaying modes in non-unitary evolution, could yield a general
definition of the relaxation, the decoherence times, and the moving preferred
basis. These probably are the most important concepts in the theory of
decoherence, one of the most relevant chapters of theoretical (and also
practical) quantum mechanics. As an example we solved the Omnes (or
Lee-Friedrich) model using our theory.Comment: 6 page
FRW cosmologies between chaos and integrability
A recent paper by Castagnino, Giacomini and Lara concludes that there is no
chaos in a conformally coupled closed Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe,
which is in apparent contradiction with previous works. We point out that
although nonchaotic the quoted system is nonintegrable.Comment: Revtex, 2 pages, no figure
Hamiltonian flows on null curves
The local motion of a null curve in Minkowski 3-space induces an evolution
equation for its Lorentz invariant curvature. Special motions are constructed
whose induced evolution equations are the members of the KdV hierarchy. The
null curves which move under the KdV flow without changing shape are proven to
be the trajectories of a certain particle model on null curves described by a
Lagrangian linear in the curvature. In addition, it is shown that the curvature
of a null curve which evolves by similarities can be computed in terms of the
solutions of the second Painlev\'e equation.Comment: 14 pages, v2: final version; minor changes in the expositio
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