86 research outputs found
Complex lapse, complex action and path integrals
Imaginary time is often used in quantum tunnelling calculations. This article
advocates a conceptually sounder alternative: complex lapse. In the ``3+1''
action for the Einstein gravitational field minimally coupled to a Klein-Gordon
field, allowing the lapse function to be complex yields a complex action which
generates both the usual Lorentzian theory and its Riemannian analogue, and in
particular allows a change of signature between the two. The action and
variational equations are manifestly well defined in the Hamiltonian
representation, with the momentum fields consequently being complex. The
complex action interpolates between the Lorentzian and Riemannian actions as
they appear formally in the respective path integrals. Thus the complex-lapse
theory provides a unified basis for a path-integral quantum theory of gravity
involving both Lorentzian and Riemannian aspects. A major motivation is the
quantum-tunnelling scenario for the origin of the universe. Taken as an
explanation for the observed quantum tunnelling of particles, the complex-lapse
theory determines that the argument of the lapse for the universe now is
extremely small but negative.Comment: 12 pages, Te
The trace left by signature-change-induced compactification
Recently, it has been shown that an infinite succession of classical
signature changes (''signature oscillations'') can compactify and stabilize
internal dimensions, and simultaneously leads, after a coarse graining type of
average procedure, to an effective (''physical'') space-time geometry
displaying the usual Lorentzian metric signature. Here, we consider a minimally
coupled scalar field on such an oscillating background and study its effective
dynamics. It turns out that the resulting field equation in four dimensions
contains a coupling to some non-metric structure, the imprint of the
''microscopic'' signature oscillations on the effective properties of matter.
In a multidimensional FRW model, this structure is identical to a massive
scalar field evolving in its homogeneous mode.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, no figure
Comment on `Smooth and Discontinuous Signature Type Change in General Relativity'
Kossowski and Kriele derived boundary conditions on the metric at a surface
of signature change. We point out that their derivation is based not only on
certain smoothness assumptions but also on a postulated form of the Einstein
field equations. Since there is no canonical form of the field equations at a
change of signature, their conclusions are not inescapable. We show here that a
weaker formulation is possible, in which less restrictive smoothness
assumptions are made, and (a slightly different form of) the Einstein field
equations are satisfied. In particular, in this formulation it is possible to
have a bounded energy-momentum tensor at a change of signature without
satisfying their condition that the extrinsic curvature vanish.Comment: Plain TeX, 6 pages; Comment on Kossowski and Kriele: Class. Quantum
Grav. 10, 2363 (1993); Reply by Kriele: Gen. Rel. Grav. 28, 1409-1413 (1996
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS FOR THE SCALAR FIELD IN THE PRESENCE OF SIGNATURE CHANGE
We show that, contrary to recent criticism, our previous work yields a
reasonable class of solutions for the massless scalar field in the presence of
signature change.Comment: 11 pages, Plain Tex, no figure
Actions for signature change
This is a contribution on the controversy about junction conditions for
classical signature change. The central issue in this debate is whether the
extrinsic curvature on slices near the hypersurface of signature change has to
be continuous ({\it weak} signature change) or to vanish ({\it strong}
signature change). Led by a Lagrangian point of view, we write down eight
candidate action functionals ,\dots as possible generalizations of
general relativity and investigate to what extent each of these defines a
sensible variational problem, and which junction condition is implied. Four of
the actions involve an integration over the total manifold. A particular
subtlety arises from the precise definition of the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian
density . The other four actions are constructed as sums of
integrals over singe-signature domains. The result is that {\it both} types of
junction conditions occur in different models, i.e. are based on different
first principles, none of which can be claimed to represent the ''correct''
one, unless physical predictions are taken into account. From a point of view
of naturality dictated by the variational formalism, {\it weak} signature
change is slightly favoured over {\it strong} one, because it requires less
{\it \`a priori} restrictions for the class of off-shell metrics. In addition,
a proposal for the use of the Lagrangian framework in cosmology is made.Comment: 36 pages, LaTeX, no figures; some corrections have been made, several
Comments and further references are included and a note has been added
Closed Strings with Low Harmonics and Kinks
Low-harmonic formulas for closed relativistic strings are given. General
parametrizations are presented for the addition of second- and third-harmonic
waves to the fundamental wave. The method of determination of the
parametrizations is based upon a product representation found for the finite
Fourier series of string motion in which the constraints are automatically
satisfied. The construction of strings with kinks is discussed, including
examples. A procedure is laid out for the representation of kinks that arise
from self-intersection, and subsequent intercommutation, for harmonically
parametrized cosmic strings.Comment: 39, CWRUTH-93-
Bohmian arrival time without trajectories
The computation of detection probabilities and arrival time distributions
within Bohmian mechanics in general needs the explicit knowledge of a relevant
sample of trajectories. Here it is shown how for one-dimensional systems and
rigid inertial detectors these quantities can be computed without calculating
any trajectories. An expression in terms of the wave function and its spatial
derivative, both restricted to the boundary of the detector's spacetime volume,
is derived for the general case, where the probability current at the
detector's boundary may vary its sign.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures; v2: reference added, extended introduction,
published versio
Particle creation and non-adiabatic transitions in quantum cosmology
The aim of this paper is to compute transitions amplitudes in quantum
cosmology, and in particular pair creation amplitudes and radiative
transitions. To this end, we apply a double adiabatic development to the
solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation restricted to mini-superspace wherein
gravity is described by the scale factor . The first development consists in
working with instantaneous eigenstates, in , of the matter Hamiltonian. The
second development is applied to the gravitational part of the wave function
and generalizes the usual WKB approximation. We then obtain an exact equation
which replaces the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and determines the evolution, i.e.
the dependence in , of the coefficients of this double expansion. When
working in the gravitational adiabatic approximation, the simplified equation
delivers the unitary evolution of transition amplitudes occurring among
instantaneous eigenstates. Upon abandoning this approximation, one finds that
there is an additional coupling among matter states living in expanding and
contracting universes. Moreover one has to face also the Klein paradox, i.e.
the generation of backward waves from an initially forward wave. The
interpretation and the consequences of these unusual features are only sketched
in the present paper. Finally, the examples of pair creation and radiative
transitions are analyzed in detail to establish when and how the above
mentioned unitary evolution coincides with the Schr\" odinger evolution.Comment: 27 pages, Late
Dimensionality, topology, energy, the cosmological constant, and signature change
Using the concept of real tunneling configurations (classical signature
change) and nucleation energy, we explore the consequences of an alternative
minimization procedure for the Euclidean action in multiple-dimensional quantum
cosmology. In both standard Hartle-Hawking type as well as Coleman type
wormhole-based approaches, it is suggested that the action should be minimized
among configurations of equal energy. In a simplified model, allowing for
arbitrary products of spheres as Euclidean solutions, the favoured space-time
dimension is 4, the global topology of spacelike slices being (hence predicting a universe of Kantowski-Sachs type). There is,
however, some freedom for a Kaluza-Klein scenario, in which case the observed
spacelike slices are . In this case, the internal space is a product
of two-spheres, and the total space-time dimension is 6, 8, 10 or 12.Comment: 34 pages, LaTeX, no figure
Compactification and signature transition in Kaluza-Klein spinor cosmology
We study the classical and quantum cosmology of a 4+1-dimensional space-time
with a non-zero cosmological constant coupled to a self interacting massive
spinor field. We consider a spatially flat Robertson-Walker universe with the
usual scale factor and an internal scale factor associated with
the extra dimension. For a free spinor field the resulting equations admit
exact solutions, whereas for a self interacting spinor field one should resort
to a numerical method for exhibiting their behavior. These solutions give rise
to a degenerate metric and exhibit signature transition from a Euclidean to a
Lorentzian domain. Such transitions suggest a compactification mechanism for
the internal and external scale factors such that in the
Lorentzian region. The corresponding quantum cosmology and the ensuing
Wheeler-DeWitt equation have exact solutions in the mini-superspace when the
spinor field is free, leading to wavepackets undergoing signature change. The
question of stabilization of the extra dimension is also discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Annals of Physic
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