Planck Fluctuations, Measurement Uncertainties and the Holographic Principle

Starting from a critical analysis of recently reported surprisingly large uncertainties in length and position measurements deduced within the framework of quantum gravity, we embark on an investigation both of the correlation structure of Planck scale fluctuations and the role the holographic hypothesis is possibly playing in this context. While we prove the logical independence of the fluctuation results and the holographic hypothesis (in contrast to some recent statements in that direction) we show that by combining these two topics one can draw quite strong and interesting conclusions about the fluctuation structure and the microscopic dynamics on the Planck scale. We further argue that these findings point to a possibly new and generalized form of quantum statistical mechanics of strongly (anti)correlated systems of degrees of freedom in this fundamental regime.Comment: 19 pages, Latex, no figures, some new references, to appear ModPhysLett

Ice flux divergence anomalies on 79north Glacier, Greenland

International audienc

Topological features of massive bosons on two dimensional Einstein space-time

In this paper we tackle the problem of constructing explicit examples of topological cocycles of Roberts' net cohomology, as defined abstractly by Brunetti and Ruzzi. We consider the simple case of massive bosonic quantum field theory on the two dimensional Einstein cylinder. After deriving some crucial results of the algebraic framework of quantization, we address the problem of the construction of the topological cocycles. All constructed cocycles lead to unitarily equivalent representations of the fundamental group of the circle (seen as a diffeomorphic image of all possible Cauchy surfaces). The construction is carried out using only Cauchy data and related net of local algebras on the circle.Comment: 41 pages, title changed, minor changes, typos corrected, references added. Accepted for publication in Ann. Henri Poincare

Unitary Positive-Energy Representations of Scalar Bilocal Quantum Fields

The superselection sectors of two classes of scalar bilocal quantum fields in D>=4 dimensions are explicitly determined by working out the constraints imposed by unitarity. The resulting classification in terms of the dual of the respective gauge groups U(N) and O(N) confirms the expectations based on general results obtained in the framework of local nets in algebraic quantum field theory, but the approach using standard Lie algebra methods rather than abstract duality theory is complementary. The result indicates that one does not lose interesting models if one postulates the absence of scalar fields of dimension D-2 in models with global conformal invariance. Another remarkable outcome is the observation that, with an appropriate choice of the Hamiltonian, a Lie algebra embedded into the associative algebra of observables completely fixes the representation theory.Comment: 27 pages, v3: result improved by eliminating redundant assumptio

A geometrical origin for the covariant entropy bound

Causal diamond-shaped subsets of space-time are naturally associated with operator algebras in quantum field theory, and they are also related to the Bousso covariant entropy bound. In this work we argue that the net of these causal sets to which are assigned the local operator algebras of quantum theories should be taken to be non orthomodular if there is some lowest scale for the description of space-time as a manifold. This geometry can be related to a reduction in the degrees of freedom of the holographic type under certain natural conditions for the local algebras. A non orthomodular net of causal sets that implements the cutoff in a covariant manner is constructed. It gives an explanation, in a simple example, of the non positive expansion condition for light-sheet selection in the covariant entropy bound. It also suggests a different covariant formulation of entropy bound.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, final versio

Massive Vector Mesons and Gauge Theory

We show that the requirements of renormalizability and physical consistency imposed on perturbative interactions of massive vector mesons fix the theory essentially uniquely. In particular physical consistency demands the presence of at least one additional physical degree of freedom which was not part of the originally required physical particle content. In its simplest realization (probably the only one) these are scalar fields as envisaged by Higgs but in the present formulation without the ``symmetry-breaking Higgs condensate''. The final result agrees precisely with the usual quantization of a classical gauge theory by means of the Higgs mechanism. Our method proves an old conjecture of Cornwall, Levin and Tiktopoulos stating that the renormalization and consistency requirements of spin=1 particles lead to the gauge theory structure (i.e. a kind of inverse of 't Hooft's famous renormalizability proof in quantized gauge theories) which was based on the on-shell unitarity of the $S$-matrix. We also speculate on a possible future ghostfree formulation which avoids ''field coordinates'' altogether and is expected to reconcile the on-shell S-matrix point of view with the off-shell field theory structure.Comment: 53 pages, version to appear in J. Phys.

Developed turbulence: From full simulations to full mode reductions

Developed Navier-Stokes turbulence is simulated with varying wavevector mode reductions. The flatness and the skewness of the velocity derivative depend on the degree of mode reduction. They show a crossover towards the value of the full numerical simulation when the viscous subrange starts to be resolved. The intermittency corrections of the scaling exponents of the pth order velocity structure functions seem to depend mainly on the proper resolution of the inertial subrange. Universal scaling properties (i.e., independent of the degree of mode reduction) are found for the relative scaling exponents rho which were recently defined by Benzi et al.Comment: 4 pages, 5 eps-figures, replaces version from August 5th, 199

Tidal controls on the flow of ice streams

The flow of many Antarctic ice streams is known to be significantly influenced by tides. In the past, modeling studies have implemented the tidal forces acting on a coupled ice stream/ice shelf system in a number of different ways, but the consequences that this has on the modeled response of ice streams to tides have, until now, not been considered. Here we investigate for the first time differences in model response that are only due to differences in the way tidal forcings are implemented. We find that attempts to simplify the problem by neglecting flexural stresses are generally not valid and forcing models with only changes in ocean back pressure will not capture either the correct amplitudes or length scale

Vacuum Fluctuations, Geometric Modular Action and Relativistic Quantum Information Theory

A summary of some lines of ideas leading to model-independent frameworks of relativistic quantum field theory is given. It is followed by a discussion of the Reeh-Schlieder theorem and geometric modular action of Tomita-Takesaki modular objects associated with the quantum field vacuum state and certain algebras of observables. The distillability concept, which is significant in specifying useful entanglement in quantum information theory, is discussed within the setting of general relativistic quantum field theory.Comment: 26 pages. Contribution for the Proceedings of a Conference on Special Relativity held at Potsdam, 200

Hyperentangled States

We investigate a new class of entangled states, which we call 'hyperentangled',that have EPR correlations identical to those in the vacuum state of a relativistic quantum field. We show that whenever hyperentangled states exist in any quantum theory, they are dense in its state space. We also give prescriptions for constructing hyperentangled states that involve an arbitrarily large collection of systems.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX, Submitted to Physical Review