Related papers: Mapping Cartesian Coordinates into Emission Coordi…
The fact that in Minkowski space, space and time are both quantized does not have to be introduced as a new postulate in physics, but can actually be derived by combining certain features of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. This is…
Penrose's Spin Geometry Theorem is extended further, from $SU(2)$ and $E(3)$ (Euclidean) to $E(1,3)$ (Poincar\'e) invariant elementary quantum mechanical systems. The Lorentzian spatial distance between any two non-parallel timelike…
Relativity is an integral part of positioning systems, and this is taken into account in today's practice by applying many "relativistic corrections" to computations performed using concepts borrowed from Galilean physics. A different,…
We review the study of inhomogeneous perturbations about a homogeneous and isotropic background cosmology. We adopt a coordinate based approach, but give geometrical interpretations of metric perturbations in terms of the expansion, shear…
It is well known that in a generally covariant gravitational theory the choice of spacetime scalars as coordinates yields phase-space observables (or "invariants"). However their relation to the symmetry group of diffeomorphism…
Analytical computations in relativistic cosmology can be split into two sets: time evolution relating the initial conditions to the observer's light-cone and light propagation to obtain observables. Cosmological perturbation theory in the…
Starting from a suggestion of Einstein on the construction of the concept of space, we elaborate an intrinsic method to obtain space and time transformations between two inertial spaces of reference, mathematically modeled as affine…
There is a complex conformal transformation, which maps the $D$ - dimensional real Minkowski space on a bounded set in the $D$ - dimensional complex vector space. It generalizes the Cayley map from $D=1$ dimensions to higher space-time…
I present a way to visualize the concept of curved spacetime. The result is a curved surface with local coordinate systems (Minkowski Systems) living on it, giving the local directions of space and time. Relative to these systems, special…
We present visual calculations in special relativity using spacetime diagrams drawn on graph paper that has been rotated by 45 degrees. The rotated lines represent lightlike directions in Minkowski spacetime, and the boxes in the grid…
As a novel approach with possible relevance to semiclassical gravity, we propose to define regions of space as quantum subsystems. After recalling how to divide a generic quantum system into ``parts'', we apply this idea to a free scalar…
We put forth a few ideas on coordinate conditions and their implementation in numerical relativity. Coordinate conditions are important for the long time scale simulations of relativistic systems, e.g., for the determination of…
We develop approximation methods in the hybrid quantization of the Gowdy model with linear polarization and a massless scalar field, for the case of three-torus spatial topology. The loop quantization of the homogeneous gravitational sector…
We exploit mappings between quantum and classical systems in order to obtain a class of two-dimensional classical systems with critical properties equivalent to those of the class of one-dimensional quantum systems discussed in a companion…
The relativistic conception of space and time is challenged by the quantum nature of physical observables. It has been known for a long time that Poincar\'e symmetry of field theory can be extended to the larger conformal symmetry. We use…
We study the role that both vacuum fluctuations and vacuum entanglement of a scalar field play in identifying the spacetime topology, which is not prescribed from first principles---neither in general relativity or quantum gravity. We…
We obtain variants of the classical Minkowski Theorem on inhomogeneous approximation where we require moreover that the solutions $p, q$ be coprime integers. We link the subject with density exponents of lattice orbits in the real plane.
Spacetimes obtained by dimensional reduction along lattices containing a lightlike direction can admit semigroup extensions of their isometry groups. We show by concrete examples that such a semigroup can exhibit a natural order, which in…
We present an elementary system of axioms for the geometry of Minkowski spacetime. It strikes a balance between a simple and streamlined set of axioms and the attempt to give a direct formalization in first-order logic of the standard…
We describe how geometrical methods can be applied to a system with explicitly time-dependent second-class constraints so as to cast it in Hamiltonian form on its physical phase space. Examples of particular interest are systems which…