Related papers: Time functions as utilities
Programs in quantum gravity often claim that time emerges from fundamentally timeless physics. In the semiclassical time program time arises only after approximations are taken. Here we ask what justifies taking these approximations and…
We present a short review of geometric and algebraic approach to causal cones and describe cone preserving transformations and their relationship with causal structure related to special and general theory of relativity. We describe Lie…
The existence of small amounts of advanced radiation, or a tilt in the arrow of time, makes the basic equations of physics mixed-type functional differential equations. The novel features of such equations point to a microphysical structure…
We introduce a canonical, compact topology, which we call weakly causal, naturally generated by the causal site of J. D. Christensen and L. Crane, a pointless algebraic structure motivated by certain problems of quantum gravity. We show…
In quantum mechanics time usually appears as classical parameter which means that it is treated as being essentially different from spatial coordinates that are represented by operators. On the other hand, relativity theory demands to treat…
Classical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics and quantum mechanics are often depicted as separate realms of physics, each with its own formalism and notion. This remains unsatisfactory with respect to the unity of nature and to the…
The main aim of this article is to investigate a spacetime of quasi-constant sectional curvature. At first, the existence of such a spacetime is established by several examples. We have shown that a spacetime of quasi-constant sectional…
We introduce a framework to study the emergence of time and causal structure in quantum many-body systems. In doing so, we consider quantum states which encode spacetime dynamics, and develop information theoretic tools to extract the…
In this paper we investigate the following fractional order in time Cauchy problem \begin{equation*} \begin{cases} \mathbb{D}_{t}^{\alpha }u(t)+Au(t)=f(u(t)), & 1<\alpha <2, u(0)=u_{0},\,\,\,u^{\prime }(0)=u_{1}. & \end{cases}%…
A viable spacetime is one that admits a complete timelike geodesic. It is shown that a causal diffeomorphism preserving the Ricci tensor between two spacetimes is necessarily a homothety, if one of them is viable.
Spacetime must be foliable by spacelike surfaces for the quantum mechanics of matter fields to be formulated in terms of a unitarily evolving state vector defined on spacelike surfaces. When a spacetime cannot be foliated by spacelike…
I propose that Physics should be formulated using minimal mathematical structure, beginning with its foundational arena: spacetime. This paper opens with a concise overview of several research directions explored in previous work. Among…
The conflict between quantum theory and the theory of relativity is exemplified in their treatment of time. We examine the ways in which their conceptions differ, and describe a semiclassical clock model combining elements of both theories.…
It is unclear whether an observable notion of time exists in quantum gravity even in principle because spacetime itself fluctuates. We propose a form of observable time in perturbative quantum gravity. First, we define an elapsed proper…
Collapse models possibly suggest the need for a better understanding of the structure of space-time. We argue that physical space, and space-time, are emergent features of the Universe, which arise as a result of dynamical collapse of the…
Causality never gained the status of a "law" or "principle" in physics. Some recent literature even popularized the false idea that causality is a notion that should be banned from theory. Such misconception relies on an alleged…
Contemporary research programs in fundamental physics appear to suggest that there could be two (physical) times---or none at all. This essay articulates these possibilities in the context of quantum gravity, and in particular of…
The statistical state of any (classical or quantum) system with non-trivial time evolution can be interpreted as the pointer of a clock. The quality of such a clock is given by the statistical distinguishability of its states at different…
A Lorentzian manifold endowed with a time function, $\tau$, can be converted into a metric space using the null distance, $\hat{d}_\tau$, defined by Sormani and Vega. We show that if the time function is a proper regular cosmological time…
The landscape of causal relations that can hold among a set of systems in quantum theory is richer than in classical physics. In particular, a pair of time-ordered systems can be related as cause and effect or as the effects of a common…