Related papers: The physical observer II: Gauge and diff anomalies
We calculate deviations in cosmological observables as a function of parameters in a class of connection-based models of quantum gravity. In this theory non-trivial modifications to the background cosmology can occur due to a distortion of…
Quantum field theory (QFT) in classical spacetime has revealed interesting and puzzling aspects about gravitational systems, in particular black hole thermodynamics and its information processing. Although quantum gravitational effects may…
Contrary to an oft-made claim, there can be observational distinctions (say for the expansion of the universe or the cosmological constant) between "single-history" quantum theories and "many-worlds" quantum theories. The distinctions occur…
Quantum theory is applicable, in principle, to both the microscopic and macroscopic realms. It is therefore worthwhile to investigate whether it is possible to evolve a quantum-compatible view of the properties and states of macroscopic…
A review of some errors made by the author and others in their search for quantum models of gravity in cosmological space-times that asymptote to de Sitter (dS) space in the future. The "static de Sitter Hamiltonian", which measures the…
The hypothesis of a discrete fabric of the universe--the "Planck scale"--is always on stage, since it solves mathematical and conceptual problems in the infinitely small. However, it clashes with special relativity, which is designed for…
We study the constraints on models with extra dimensions arising from local anomaly cancellation. We consider a five-dimensional field theory with a U(1) gauge field and a charged fermion, compactified on the orbifold S^1/(Z_2 x Z_2'). We…
A four dimensional generally covariant field theory is presented which describes non-dynamical three geometries coupled to scalar fields. The theory has an infinite number of physical observables (or constants of the motion) which are…
It is shown that Quantum Mechanics is ambiguous when predicting relative frequencies for an entangled system if the measurements of both subsystems are performed in spatially separated events. This ambiguity gives way to unphysical…
We derive constraints on the four dimensional energy-momentum tensor from gravitational and gauge anomalies. Our work can be considered an extension of Duff's analysis [1] to include parity-odd terms and explicit symmetry breaking. The…
Several conceptual aspects of quantum gravity are studied on the example of the homogeneous isotropic LQC model. In particular: $(i)$ The proper time of the co-moving observers is showed to be a quantum operator {and} a quantum spacetime…
We analyze the size and evolution of quantum fluctuations of cosmologically relevant geometric observables, in the context of the effective relational cosmological dynamics of GFT models of quantum gravity. We consider the fluctuations of…
Despite their diversity, many of the most prominent candidate theories of quantum gravity share the property to be effectively lower-dimensional at small scales. In particular, dimension two plays a fundamental role in the finiteness of…
Interpretations of quantum theory have traditionally assumed a "Galilean" observer, a bare "point of view" implemented physically by a quantum system. This paper investigates the consequences of replacing such an…
The aim of the present article is to give physical meaning to the ingredients of standard gauge field theory in the framework of the scale relativity theory. Owing to the principle of the relativity of scales, the scale-space is not…
On one popular view, the general covariance of gravity implies that change is relational in a strong sense, such that all it is for a physical degree of freedom to change is for it to vary with regard to a second physical degree of freedom.…
Covariant, self-interacting scalar quantum field theories admit solutions for low enough spacetime dimensions, but when additional divergences appear in higher dimensions, the traditional approach leads to results, such as triviality, that…
One of the hallmarks of quantum theory is the realization that distinct measurements cannot in general be performed simultaneously, in stark contrast to classical physics. In this context the notions of coexistence and joint measurability…
It is generally assumed that quantum field theory (QFT) is gauge invariant. However it is well known that non-gauge invariant terms appear in various calculations. This problem was examined in Refs. [3] and [4] and it was shown that at the…
At the beginning of the previous century, Newtonian mechanics fell victim to two new revolutionary theories, Quantum Mechanics (QM) and General Relativity (GR). Both theories have transformed our view of physical phenomena, with QM…