Related papers: Solution to the problem of time
We replace the usual Hamiltonian constraint of quantum gravity H|psi>=0 by a weaker one <psi|H|psi>=0. This allows |psi> to satisfy the time-dependent functional Schrodinger equation. In general, only the phase of the wave function appears…
A commonly adopted relational account of time evolution in generally-covariant systems, and more specifically in quantum cosmology, is argued to be unsatisfactory, insofar as it describes evolution relative to observed readings of a clock…
Motivated by the mounting evidence for dark energy, here we explore the consequences of a fundamental cosmological constant $\Lambda$ for our universe. We show that when the gravitational entropy of a pure DeSitter state ultimately wins…
Quantum mechanical unitarity in our universe is challenged both by the notion of the big bang, in which nothing transforms into something, and the expansion of space, in which something transforms into more something. This motivates the…
Gravitational waves have been directly detected and astronomical observations indicate that our Universe has a positive cosmological constant $\Lambda$. Nevertheless, a theoretical gauge-invariant notion of gravitational waves arriving at…
We consider plane-symmetric spacetimes satisfying Einstein's field equations with positive cosmological constant, when the matter is a fluid whose pressure is equal to its mass-energy density (i.e. a so-called stiff fluid). We study the…
In general-covariant theories the Hamiltonian is a constraint, and hence there is no time evolution; this is the problem of time. In the subcritical free string, the Hamiltonian ceases to be a constraint after quantization due to conformal…
General relativity in three spacetime dimensions is used to explore three approaches to the ``problem of time'' in quantum gravity: the internal Schr\"odinger approach with mean extrinsic curvature as a time variable, the Wheeler-DeWitt…
We use the quantum unimodular theory of gravity to relate the value of the cosmological constant, $\Lambda$, and the energy scale for the emergence of cosmological classicality. The fact that $\Lambda$ and unimodular time are complementary…
We extend the idea of unimodular gravity to the modified $f(R,T)$ theories. A new class of cosmological solutions, that the unimodular constraint on the metric imposes on the $f(R,T)$ theories, are studied. This extension is done in both…
The problem of the physical nature and the cosmological constant genesis is discussed. This problem can't be solved in terms of the current quantum field theory which operates with Higgs and nonperturbative vacuum condensates and takes into…
Unimodular gravity is based on a modification of the usual Einstein-Hilbert action that allows one to recover general relativity with a dynamical cosmological constant. It also has the interesting property of providing, as the momentum…
We introduce a novel method to circumvent Weinberg's no-go theorem for self-tuning the cosmological vacuum energy: a Lorentz-violating finite-temperature superfluid can counter the effects of an arbitrarily large cosmological constant.…
We first review the cosmological constant problem, and then mention a conjecture of Feynman according to which the general relativistic theory of gravity should be reformulated in such a way that energy does not couple to gravity. We point…
We have investigated a cosmological model with variable speed of light (c), gravitational constant (G) and cosmological constant (Lambda). The model is shown to solve the horizon, flatness and monopole problems of the early universe. We…
We consider a solution to the problem of time in quantum gravity by deparameterisation of the ADM action in terms of York time, a parameter proportional to the extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface. We study a minisuperspace model…
We emphasize that noncommutative (NC) spacetime necessarily implies emergent spacetime if spacetime at microscopic scales should be viewed as NC. In order to understand NC spacetime correctly, we need to deactivate the thought patterns that…
In order to resolve the measurement problem of Quantum Mechanics, non-unitary time evolution has been derived from the unitarity of standard quantum formalism. New wave functions of free and non-free quantum systems follow from Schroedinger…
I describe an approach which relates classical gravity to the quantum microstructure of spacetime. In this approach, the field equations arise from maximizing the density of states of the matter plus geometry. The former is identified using…
Motivated by some recent speculative attempts to model the dark energy, scalar fields with negative kinetic energy coupled to gravity without a cosmological constant are considered. It is shown that in the presence of an ordinary fluid, any…