English

Particle detectors under chronological hazard

Quantum Physics 2024-07-19 v2 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

We analyze how the presence of closed timelike curves (CTCs) characterizing a time machine can be discerned by placing a local particle detector in a region of spacetime which is causally disconnected from the CTCs. Our study shows that not only can the detector tell if there are CTCs, but also that the detector can separate topological from geometrical information and distinguish periodic spacetimes without CTCs (like the Einstein cylinder), curvature, and spacetimes with topological identifications that enable time-machines.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2402.17825,
  title  = {Particle detectors under chronological hazard},
  author = {Ana Alonso-Serrano and Erickson Tjoa and Luis J. Garay and Eduardo Martín-Martínez},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.17825},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

20 pages, 3 figures; v2: fixed typos and updated to match published version

R2 v1 2026-06-28T15:02:28.305Z