English

Is it time to rethink quantum gravity?

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2024-07-30 v1 High Energy Physics - Theory Quantum Physics

Abstract

Although it's widely believed that gravity should have a quantum nature like every other force, the conceptual obstacles to constructing a quantum theory of gravity compel us to explore other perspectives. Gravity is not like any other force. It alone defines a universal space-time geometry, upon which quantum fields evolve. We feel gravity because matter causes space-time to bend. Time flows at unequal rates at different locations. The rate at which time flows, and the causal structure it provides, may be required to have a classical description in order for quantum theory to be well-formulated. I discuss arguments for this proposition, but ultimately conclude that we must turn to experiment to guide us.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2310.12221,
  title  = {Is it time to rethink quantum gravity?},
  author = {Jonathan Oppenheim},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2310.12221},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

Honourable Mention in the Gravity Research Foundation 2023 Awards for Essays on Gravitation

R2 v1 2026-06-28T12:54:46.688Z