Related papers: Spacetime-Free Approach to Quantum Theory and Effe…
In physics, experiments ultimately inform us as to what constitutes a good theoretical model of any physical concept: physical space should be no exception. The best picture of physical space in Newtonian physics is given by the…
In this introductory review, we argue that a quantum structure of space-time naturally entails a higher-spin theory, to avoid significant Lorentz violation. A suitable framework is provided by Yang-Mills matrix models, which allow to…
We discuss the meaning of background independence in quantum theories of gravity where geometry and gravity are emergent and illustrate the possibilities using the framework of quantum causal histories.
At present we have only the very successful but phenomenological Einstein geometrical modelling of the spacetime phenomenon. This geometrical model provides a `container' for other theories, in particular the quantum field theories. Here we…
We propose a geometric setting of the axiomatic mathematical formalism of quantum theory. Guided by the idea that understanding the mathematical structures of these axioms is of similar importance as was historically the process of…
We propose a formulation of the holographic principle, suitable for a background independent quantum theory of cosmology. It is stated as a relationship between the flow of quantum information and the causal structure of a quantum…
A quantum theory of asymptotically flat space-times is presented using the solutions of the Null Surface Formulation (NSF) field equations in a perturbative scheme. Free-field commutation relations are given for the null free data of NSF at…
Close to the Planck energy scale, the quantum nature of space-time reveals itself and all forces, including gravity, should be unified so that all interactions correspond to just one underlying symmetry. In the absence of a full quantum…
We recapitulate the scheme of emergent gravity to highlight how a background independent quantum gravity can be defined by quantizing spacetime itself.
This article sets out the framework of algebraic quantum field theory in curved spacetimes, based on the idea of local covariance. In this framework, a quantum field theory is modelled by a functor from a category of spacetimes to a…
A recently proposed algebraic representation of the causal set model of the small-scale structure of space-time of Sorkin et al. is briefly reviewed and expanded. The algebraic model suggested, called quantum causal set, is physically…
We argue that the conventional quantum field theory in curved spacetime has a grave drawback: The canonical commutation relations for quantum fields and conjugate momenta do not hold. Thus the conventional theory should be denounced and the…
The history of general relativity suggests that in absence of experimental data, constructing a theory on philosophical first principles can lead to a very useful theory as well as to ground-breaking insights about physical reality. The two…
Recently, it was shown that the quantum effects of the matter, could be used to determine the conformal degree of freedom of the space-time metric. So both gravity and quantum are geometrical features. Gravity determines the causal…
The asymptotic structure of the gravitational field of isolated systems has been analyzed in great detail in the case when the cosmological constant $\Lambda$ is zero. The resulting framework lies at the foundation of research in diverse…
We develop a comprehensive cosmological framework based on the principle that our universe originated as a three-dimensional spatial configuration governed purely by energy functionals, with time emerging dynamically through quantum loop…
We present the case for a fundamentally discrete quantum spacetime and for Group Field Theories as a candidate consistent description of it, briefly reviewing the key properties of the GFT formalism. We then argue that the outstanding…
This paper develops a conditional framework for understanding the emergence of measurable physical structure from a pre-metric domain. Contemporary physics provides powerful and precise descriptions of relations among already-defined…
The intersection of thermodynamics, quantum theory and gravity has revealed many profound insights, all the while posing new puzzles. In this article, we discuss an extension of equilibrium statistical mechanics and thermodynamics…
A generalised equivalence principle is put forward according to which space-time symmetries and internal quantum symmetries are indistinguishable before symmetry breaking. Based on this principle, a higher-dimensional extension of Minkowski…