1,383 research outputs found
Existence of Spinorial States in Pure Loop Quantum Gravity
We demonstrate the existence of spinorial states in a theory of canonical
quantum gravity without matter. This should be regarded as evidence towards the
conjecture that bound states with particle properties appear in association
with spatial regions of non-trivial topology. In asymptotically trivial general
relativity the momentum constraint generates only a subgroup of the spatial
diffeomorphisms. The remaining diffeomorphisms give rise to the mapping class
group, which acts as a symmetry group on the phase space. This action induces a
unitary representation on the loop state space of the Ashtekar formalism.
Certain elements of the diffeomorphism group can be regarded as asymptotic
rotations of space relative to its surroundings. We construct states that
transform non-trivially under a -rotation: gravitational quantum states
with fractional spin.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures. Changes made to section 2 and Lemma
Symplectic Cuts and Projection Quantization
The recently proposed projection quantization, which is a method to quantize
particular subspaces of systems with known quantum theory, is shown to yield a
genuine quantization in several cases. This may be inferred from exact results
established within symplectic cutting.Comment: 12 pages, v2: additional examples and a new reference to related wor
Refined Algebraic Quantization in the oscillator representation of SL(2,R)
We investigate Refined Algebraic Quantization (RAQ) with group averaging in a
constrained Hamiltonian system with unreduced phase space T^*R^4 and gauge
group SL(2,R). The reduced phase space M is connected and contains four
mutually disconnected `regular' sectors with topology R x S^1, but these
sectors are connected to each other through an exceptional set where M is not a
manifold and where M has non-Hausdorff topology. The RAQ physical Hilbert space
H_{phys} decomposes as H_{phys} = (direct sum of) H_i, where the four subspaces
H_i naturally correspond to the four regular sectors of M. The RAQ observable
algebra A_{obs}, represented on H_{phys}, contains natural subalgebras
represented on each H_i. The group averaging takes place in the oscillator
representation of SL(2,R) on L^2(R^{2,2}), and ensuring convergence requires a
subtle choice for the test state space: the classical analogue of this choice
is to excise from M the exceptional set while nevertheless retaining
information about the connections between the regular sectors. A quantum theory
with the Hilbert space H_{phys} and a finitely-generated observable subalgebra
of A_{obs} is recovered through both Ashtekar's Algebraic Quantization and
Isham's group theoretic quantization.Comment: 30 pages, REVTeX v3.1 with amsfonts. (v4: Published version.
On Doppler tracking in cosmological spacetimes
We give a rigorous derivation of the general-relativistic formula for the
two-way Doppler tracking of a spacecraft in Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker
and in McVittie spacetimes. The leading order corrections of the so-determined
acceleration to the Newtonian acceleration are due to special-relativistic
effects and cosmological expansion. The latter, although linear in the Hubble
constant, is negligible in typical applications within the Solar System.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. Journal versio
Hawking radiation from decoherence
It is argued that the thermal nature of Hawking radiation arises solely due
to decoherence. Thereby any information-loss paradox is avoided because for
closed systems pure states remain pure. The discussion is performed for a
massless scalar field in the background of a Schwarzschild black hole, but the
arguments should hold in general. The result is also compared to and contrasted
with the situation in inflationary cosmology.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra
Group averaging in the (p,q) oscillator representation of SL(2,R)
We investigate refined algebraic quantisation with group averaging in a
finite-dimensional constrained Hamiltonian system that provides a simplified
model of general relativity. The classical theory has gauge group SL(2,R) and a
distinguished o(p,q) observable algebra. The gauge group of the quantum theory
is the double cover of SL(2,R), and its representation on the auxiliary Hilbert
space is isomorphic to the (p,q) oscillator representation. When p>1, q>1 and
p+q == 0 (mod 2), we obtain a physical Hilbert space with a nontrivial
representation of the o(p,q) quantum observable algebra. For p=q=1, the system
provides the first example known to us where group averaging converges to an
indefinite sesquilinear form.Comment: 34 pages. LaTeX with amsfonts, amsmath, amssymb. (References added;
minor typos corrected.
Effect of phase noise on useful quantum correlations in Bose Josephson junctions
In a two-mode Bose Josephson junction the dynamics induced by a sudden quench
of the tunnel amplitude leads to the periodic formation of entangled states.
For instance, squeezed states are formed at short times and macroscopic
superpositions of phase states at later times. The two modes of the junction
can be viewed as the two arms of an interferometer; use of entangled states
allows to perform atom interferometry beyond the classical limit. Decoherence
due to the presence of noise degrades the quantum correlations between the
atoms, thus reducing phase sensitivity of the interferometer. We consider the
noise induced by stochastic fluctuations of the energies of the two modes of
the junction. We analyze its effect on squeezed states and macroscopic
superpositions and study quantitatively the amount of quantum correlations
which can be used to enhance the phase sensitivity with respect to the
classical limit. To this aim we compute the squeezing parameter and the quantum
Fisher information during the quenched dynamics. For moderate noise intensities
we show that these useful quantum correlations increase on time scales beyond
the squeezing regime. This suggests multicomponent superpositions as
interesting candidates for high-precision atom interferometry
Noise in Bose Josephson junctions: Decoherence and phase relaxation
Squeezed states and macroscopic superpositions of coherent states have been
predicted to be generated dynamically in Bose Josephson junctions. We solve
exactly the quantum dynamics of such a junction in the presence of a classical
noise coupled to the population-imbalance number operator (phase noise),
accounting for, for example, the experimentally relevant fluctuations of the
magnetic field. We calculate the correction to the decay of the visibility
induced by the noise in the non-Markovian regime. Furthermore, we predict that
such a noise induces an anomalous rate of decoherence among the components of
the macroscopic superpositions, which is independent of the total number of
atoms, leading to potential interferometric applications.Comment: Fig 2 added; version accepted for publicatio
Multiple primary malignancies of the liver and the colon: a complex diagnostic and decisional process with a final unanswered question
We herein present the case of a 78-year-old man with an incidental finding of a solid hepatic mass without symptoms and only a laparotomic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis in the past surgical history. A colonoscopy, a magnetic resonance imaging scan, a positron emission tomography scan, and a computed tomography scan completed the preoperative workup: a neoplastic lesion 4.3 × 3 cm in size was diagnosed at segments IV and V, associated with a neoplastic involvement of the splenic flexure without signs of colonic occlusion. After colonic resection, a frozen section on a granulomatous-like tissue at gastric border suggested a diagnosis of an adenocarcinoma of bilio-pancreatic type, changing the surgical strategy to include gastric resection and hepatic pedicle node dissection. The discussion turns around the idea that a final diagnosis of colon cancer with regional nodal involvement (pT3N1) and metastatic gallbladder cancer with multiple peritoneal seedings cannot be excluded
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