1,401 research outputs found
On time and the quantum-to-classical transition in Jordan-Brans-Dicke quantum gravity
Any quantum theory of gravity which treats the gravitational constant as a
dynamical variable has to address the issue of superpositions of states
corresponding to different eigenvalues. We show how the unobservability of such
superpositions can be explained through the interaction with other
gravitational degrees of freedom (decoherence). The formal framework is
canonically quantized Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. We discuss the concepts of
intrinsic time and semiclassical time as well as the possibility of tunneling
into regions corresponding to a negative gravitational constant. We calculate
the reduced density matrix of the Jordan-Brans-Dicke field and show that the
off-diagonal elements can be sufficiently suppressed to be consistent with
experiments. The possible relevance of this mechanism for structure formation
in extended inflation is briefly discussed.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, ZU-TH 15/93, BUTP-93/1
Arrow of time in a recollapsing quantum universe
We show that the Wheeler-DeWitt equation with a consistent boundary condition
is only compatible with an arrow of time that formally reverses in a
recollapsing universe. Consistency of these opposite arrows is facilitated by
quantum effects in the region of the classical turning point. Since
gravitational time dilation diverges at horizons, collapsing matter must then
start re-expanding ``anticausally" (controlled by the reversed arrow) before
horizons or singularities can form. We also discuss the meaning of the
time-asymmetric expression used in the definition of ``consistent histories".
We finally emphasize that there is no mass inflation nor any information loss
paradox in this scenario.Comment: Many conceptual clarifications include
A Systematic Analysis of Supernova Light in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows
We systematically reanalyzed all Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglow data
published through the end of 2002, in an attempt to detect the predicted
supernova light component and to gain statistical insight on its
phenomenological properties. We fit the observed photometric light curves as
the sum of an afterglow, an underlying host galaxy, and a supernova component.
The latter is modeled using published multi-color light curves of SN 1998bw as
a template. The total sample of afterglows with established redshifts contains
21 bursts (GRB 970228 - GRB 021211). For nine of these GRBs a weak supernova
excess (scaled to SN 1998bw) was found, what makes this to one of the first
samples of high-z core collapse supernovae. Among this sample are all bursts
with redshifts less than ~0.7. These results strongly support the notion that
in fact all afterglows of long-duration GRBs contain light from an associated
supernova. A statistics of the physical parameters of these GRB-supernovae
shows that SN 1998bw was at the bright end of its class, while it was not
special with respect to its light curve shape. Finally, we have searched for a
potential correlation of the supernova luminosities with the properties of the
corresponding bursts and optical afterglows, but we have not found such a
relation.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, accepted by ApJ; revised, shortened and updated
compared to version 1; Title slightly changed; all figures showing individual
afterglow light curves removed, as advised by the referee; conclusions
unchange
Quantum Theory and Time Asymmetry
The relation between quantum measurement and thermodynamically irreversible
processes is investigated. The reduction of the state vector is fundamentally
asymmetric in time and shows an observer-relatedness which may explain the
double interpretation of the state vector as a representation of physical
states as well as of information about them. The concept of relevance being
used in all statistical theories of irreversible thermodynamics is shown to be
based on the same observer-relatedness. Quantum theories of irreversible
processes implicitly use an objectivized process of state vector reduction. The
conditions for the reduction are discussed, and I speculate that the final
(subjective) observer system might even be carried by a spacetime point.Comment: Latex version of a paper published in 1979 (with minor revisions), 18
page
GRB afterglow light curves in the pre-Swift era - a statistical study
We present the results of a systematic analysis of the world sample of
optical/near-infrared afterglow light curves observed in the pre-Swift era by
the end of 2004. After selecting the best observed 16 afterglows with
well-sampled light curves that can be described by a Beuermann equation, we
explore the parameter space of the light curve parameters and physical
quantities related to them. In addition, we search for correlations between
these parameters and the corresponding gamma-ray data, and we use our data set
to look for a fine structure in the light curves.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ; Version 2: minor changes, one figure
adde
N-particle sector of quantum field theory as a quantum open system
We give an exposition of a technique, based on the Zwanzig projection
formalism, to construct the evolution equation for the reduced density matrix
corresponding to the n-particle sector of a field theory. We consider the case
of a scalar field with a interaction as an example and construct the
master equation at the lowest non-zero order in perturbation theory.Comment: 12 pages, Late
Classical and quantum LTB model for the non-marginal case
We extend the classical and quantum treatment of the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi
(LTB) model to the non-marginal case (defined by the fact that the shells of
the dust cloud start with a non-vanishing velocity at infinity). We present the
classical canonical formalism and address with particular care the boundary
terms in the action. We give the general relation between dust time and Killing
time. Employing a lattice regularization, we then derive and discuss for
particular factor orderings exact solutions to all quantum constraints.Comment: 23 pages, no figures, typos correcte
Entanglement and the Thermodynamic Arrow of Time
We discuss quantum entanglement in the context of the thermodynamic arrow of
time. We review the role of correlations in entropy-decreasing events and prove
that the occurrence of a transformation between two thermodynamic states
constitutes a new type of entanglement witness, one not defined as a separating
plane in state space between separable and entangled states, but as a physical
process dependent on the local initial properties of the states. Extending work
by Partovi, we consider a general entangled multipartite system that allows
large reversals of the thermodynamic arrow of time. We describe a hierarchy of
arrows that arises from the different correlations allowed in a quantum state
and examine these features in the context of Maxwell's Demon. We examine in
detail the case of three qubits, and also propose some simple experimental
demonstrations possible with small numbers of qubits.Comment: 10 pages with 9 figure
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