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Related papers: Time functions as utilities

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The standard formulation of quantum theory assumes a predefined notion of time. This is a major obstacle in the search for a quantum theory of gravity, where the causal structure of space-time is expected to be dynamical and fundamentally…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2016-07-29 Ognyan Oreshkov , Nicolas J. Cerf

Recently ({\em Class. Quant. Grav.} {\bf 20} 625-664) the concept of {\em causal mapping} between spacetimes --essentially equivalent in this context to the {\em chronological map} one in abstract chronological spaces--, and the related…

Mathematical Physics · Physics 2021-05-25 Alfonso García-Parrado , Miguel Sánchez

This work establishes a Space-Time Connectivity Theorem for normal currents. In analogy to classical results by Federer and Fleming as well as a recent theorem for integral currents by the second author, this result allows one to witness…

Analysis of PDEs · Mathematics 2025-10-10 Paolo Bonicatto , Filip Rindler , Harry Turnbull

In relational quantum dynamics, evolution emerges via the correlations between some system of interest and a clock system, which plays the role of a temporal reference frame. Their combined state satisfies a Wheeler-de Witt-like constraint…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-03-11 Veronika Baumann , Maximilian P. E. Lock

It is often conjectured that a choice of time function merely sets up a frame for the quantum evolution of gravitational field, meaning that all choices should be in some sense compatible. In order to explore this conjecture (and the…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2015-07-06 Przemyslaw Malkiewicz

We study the notion of a causal time-evolution of a conserved nonlocal physical quantity in a globally hyperbolic spacetime $\mathcal{M}$. The role of the `global time' is played by a chosen Cauchy temporal function $\mathcal{T}$, whereas…

Mathematical Physics · Physics 2024-12-31 Tomasz Miller

The time separation function (or Lorentzian distance function) is a fundamental object used in Lorentzian geometry. For smooth spacetimes it is known to be lower semicontinuous, and in fact, continuous for globally hyperbolic spacetimes.…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2024-10-02 Eric Ling

Starting from a discussion of the concrete representations of the coordinates of the k-Minkowski spacetime (in 1+1 dimensions, for simplicity), we explicitly compute the associated Weyl operators as functions of a pair of Schroedinger…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2010-02-22 Ludwik Dabrowski , Gherardo Piacitelli

In general relativity, `causal structure' refers to the partial order on space-time points (or regions) that encodes time-like relationships. Recently, quantum information and quantum foundations saw the emergence of a `causality…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2017-08-16 Aleks Kissinger , Matty Hoban , Bob Coecke

Causal discovery is the subfield of causal inference concerned with estimating the structure of cause-and-effect relationships in a system of interrelated variables, as opposed to quantifying the strength or describing the form of causal…

Methodology · Statistics 2026-03-26 Rebecca F. Supple , Hannah Worthington , Ben Swallow

Among the various attempts to formulate a theory of quantum gravity, a class of approaches suggests that spacetime, as modeled by general relativity, is destined to fade away. A major issue becomes then to identify which structures may…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2024-04-18 Emilia Margoni , Daniele Oriti

The full causal ladder of spacetimes is constructed, and their updated main properties are developed. Old concepts and alternative definitions of each level of the ladder are revisited, with emphasis in minimum hypotheses. The implications…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2008-05-20 E. Minguzzi , M. Sanchez

In this paper we prove local well-posedness of a space-time fractional generalization of the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation with a power-type nonlinearity. The linear equation coincides with a model proposed by Naber, and displays a…

Analysis of PDEs · Mathematics 2019-09-12 Ricardo Grande

Recently, folk questions on the smoothability of Cauchy hypersurfaces and time functions of a globally hyperbolic spacetime M, have been solved. Here we give further results, applicable to several problems: (1) Any compact spacelike acausal…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2009-11-11 Antonio N. Bernal , Miguel Sánchez

We propose a new point of view regarding the problem of time in quantum mechanics, based on the idea of replacing the usual time operator $\mathbf{T}$ with a suitable real-valued function $T$ on the space of physical states. The proper…

The result "chronological spacetimes without lightlike lines are stably causal" is announced and motivated. It implies that chronological spacetimes which are null geodesically complete and satisfy the null genericity and the null…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2011-06-24 E. Minguzzi

In a causal world the direction of the time arrow dictates how past causal events in a variable $X$ produce future effects in $Y$. $X$ is said to cause an effect in $Y$, if the predictability (uncertainty) about the future states of $Y$…

Chaotic Dynamics · Physics 2018-07-24 Ezequiel Bianco-Martinez , Murilo S. Baptista

We provide a unified operational framework for the study of causality, non-locality and contextuality, in a fully device-independent and theory-independent setting. Our work has its roots in the sheaf-theoretic framework for contextuality…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2023-07-31 Stefano Gogioso , Nicola Pinzani

We study the Cauhcy problem for space-time fractional nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation with a general nonlinearity. We prove the local well-posedness of it in fractional Sobolev spaces based on the decay estimates and H\"older type…

Analysis of PDEs · Mathematics 2024-07-02 Mingxuan He , Na Deng , Lu Zhang

The analysis of space-time data from complex, real-life phenomena requires the use of flexible and physically motivated covariance functions. In most cases, it is not possible to explicitly solve the equations of motion for the fields or…

Methodology · Statistics 2016-06-29 Dionissios T. Hristopulos , Ivi C. Tsantili