9 research outputs found
Graviton propagator in loop quantum gravity
We compute some components of the graviton propagator in loop quantum
gravity, using the spinfoam formalism, up to some second order terms in the
expansion parameter.Comment: 41 pages, 6 figure
Probabilistic time
The concept of time emerges as an ordering structure in a classical
statistical ensemble. Probability distributions at a given time
obtain by integrating out the past and future. We discuss all-time probability
distributions that realize a unitary time evolution as described by rotations
of the real wave function . We establish a map
to quantum physics and the Schr\"odinger equation. Suitable classical
observables are mapped to quantum operators. The non-commutativity of the
operator product is traced back to the incomplete statistics of the local-time
subsystem. Our investigation of classical statistics is based on two-level
observables that take the values one or zero. Then the wave functions can be
mapped to elements of a Grassmann algebra. Quantum field theories for fermions
arise naturally from our formulation of probabilistic time.Comment: new references, 30 page
New interpretation of variational principles for gauge theories. I. Cyclic coordinate alternative to ADM split
I show how there is an ambiguity in how one treats auxiliary variables in
gauge theories including general relativity cast as 3 + 1 geometrodynamics.
Auxiliary variables may be treated pre-variationally as multiplier coordinates
or as the velocities corresponding to cyclic coordinates. The latter treatment
works through the physical meaninglessness of auxiliary variables' values
applying also to the end points (or end spatial hypersurfaces) of the
variation, so that these are free rather than fixed. [This is also known as
variation with natural boundary conditions.] Further principles of dynamics
workings such as Routhian reduction and the Dirac procedure are shown to have
parallel counterparts for this new formalism. One advantage of the new scheme
is that the corresponding actions are more manifestly relational. While the
electric potential is usually regarded as a multiplier coordinate and Arnowitt,
Deser and Misner have regarded the lapse and shift likewise, this paper's
scheme considers new {\it flux}, {\it instant} and {\it grid} variables whose
corresponding velocities are, respectively, the abovementioned previously used
variables. This paper's way of thinking about gauge theory furthermore admits
interesting generalizations, which shall be provided in a second paper.Comment: 11 page
Relational Particle Models. II. Use as toy models for quantum geometrodynamics
Relational particle models are employed as toy models for the study of the
Problem of Time in quantum geometrodynamics. These models' analogue of the thin
sandwich is resolved. It is argued that the relative configuration space and
shape space of these models are close analogues from various perspectives of
superspace and conformal superspace respectively. The geometry of these spaces
and quantization thereupon is presented. A quantity that is frozen in the scale
invariant relational particle model is demonstrated to be an internal time in a
certain portion of the relational particle reformulation of Newtonian
mechanics. The semiclassical approach for these models is studied as an
emergent time resolution for these models, as are consistent records
approaches.Comment: Replaced with published version. Minor changes only; 1 reference
correcte
Foundations of Relational Particle Dynamics
Relational particle dynamics include the dynamics of pure shape and cases in
which absolute scale or absolute rotation are additionally meaningful. These
are interesting as regards the absolute versus relative motion debate as well
as discussion of conceptual issues connected with the problem of time in
quantum gravity. In spatial dimension 1 and 2 the relative configuration spaces
of shapes are n-spheres and complex projective spaces, from which knowledge I
construct natural mechanics on these spaces. I also show that these coincide
with Barbour's indirectly-constructed relational dynamics by performing a full
reduction on the latter. Then the identification of the configuration spaces as
n-spheres and complex projective spaces, for which spaces much mathematics is
available, significantly advances the understanding of Barbour's relational
theory in spatial dimensions 1 and 2. I also provide the parallel study of a
new theory for which positon and scale are purely relative but orientation is
absolute. The configuration space for this is an n-sphere regardless of the
spatial dimension, which renders this theory a more tractable arena for
investigation of implications of scale invariance than Barbour's theory itself.Comment: Minor typos corrected; references update
Quantum Cosmological Relational Model of Shape and Scale in 1-d
Relational particle models are useful toy models for quantum cosmology and
the problem of time in quantum general relativity. This paper shows how to
extend existing work on concrete examples of relational particle models in 1-d
to include a notion of scale. This is useful as regards forming a tight analogy
with quantum cosmology and the emergent semiclassical time and hidden time
approaches to the problem of time. This paper shows furthermore that the
correspondence between relational particle models and classical and quantum
cosmology can be strengthened using judicious choices of the mechanical
potential. This gives relational particle mechanics models with analogues of
spatial curvature, cosmological constant, dust and radiation terms. A number of
these models are then tractable at the quantum level. These models can be used
to study important issues 1) in canonical quantum gravity: the problem of time,
the semiclassical approach to it and timeless approaches to it (such as the
naive Schrodinger interpretation and records theory). 2) In quantum cosmology,
such as in the investigation of uniform states, robustness, and the qualitative
understanding of the origin of structure formation.Comment: References and some more motivation adde
Triangleland. I. Classical dynamics with exchange of relative angular momentum
In Euclidean relational particle mechanics, only relative times, relative
angles and relative separations are meaningful. Barbour--Bertotti (1982) theory
is of this form and can be viewed as a recovery of (a portion of) Newtonian
mechanics from relational premises. This is of interest in the absolute versus
relative motion debate and also shares a number of features with the
geometrodynamical formulation of general relativity, making it suitable for
some modelling of the problem of time in quantum gravity. I also study
similarity relational particle mechanics (`dynamics of pure shape'), in which
only relative times, relative angles and {\sl ratios of} relative separations
are meaningful. This I consider firstly as it is simpler, particularly in 1 and
2 d, for which the configuration space geometry turns out to be well-known,
e.g. S^2 for the `triangleland' (3-particle) case that I consider in detail.
Secondly, the similarity model occurs as a sub-model within the Euclidean
model: that admits a shape--scale split. For harmonic oscillator like
potentials, similarity triangleland model turns out to have the same
mathematics as a family of rigid rotor problems, while the Euclidean case turns
out to have parallels with the Kepler--Coulomb problem in spherical and
parabolic coordinates. Previous work on relational mechanics covered cases
where the constituent subsystems do not exchange relative angular momentum,
which is a simplifying (but in some ways undesirable) feature paralleling
centrality in ordinary mechanics. In this paper I lift this restriction. In
each case I reduce the relational problem to a standard one, thus obtain
various exact, asymptotic and numerical solutions, and then recast these into
the original mechanical variables for physical interpretation.Comment: Journal Reference added, minor updates to References and Figure