Related papers: Realistic clocks for a Universe without time
The `problem of time' remains an unresolved issue in all known physical descriptions of the Universe. One aspect of this problem is the conspicuous absence of time in the Wheeler-Dewitt equation, which is the analogue of the Schrodinger…
This article generalizes the conditional probability interpretation of time in which time evolution is realized through entanglement between a clock and a system of interest. This formalism is based upon conditioning a solution to the…
The "problem of time" in present physics substantially consists in the fact that a straightforward quantization of the general relativistic evolution equation and constraints generates for the Universe wave function the Wheeler-De Witt…
I show that the clock ambiguity cannot be solved by a purely relational condition like the noninteraction condition, and it is even stronger, extending to evolution laws. The ambiguity is solved by specifying the physical meaning of…
Physical systems are usually assumed to evolve relative to an external time parameter, which is problematic because in quantum theory that parameter is not a physical observable. Page & Wootters (1984) solved this by proposing that the…
The paper addresses the quantization of minisuperspace cosmological models by studying a possible solution to the problem of time and time asymmetries in quantum cosmology. Since General Relativity does not have a privileged time variable…
Quantum timeless approaches solve the problem of time by recovering the usual unitary evolution of quantum theory relative to a clock in a stationary quantum Universe. For some Hamiltonians of the Universe, such as those including an…
We present an implementation of a recently proposed procedure for defining time, based on the description of the evolving system and its clock as non-interacting, entangled systems, according to the Page and Wootters approach. We study how…
We consider the conditioning of the timeless solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation by a predefined matter clock state in the simple scenario of de Sitter universe. The resulting evolution of the geometrodynamical degree of freedom with…
An extrinsic time is identified in most isotropic and homogeneous cosmological models by matching them with the ideal clock - a parametrized system whose only "degree of freedom" is time -. Once this matching is established, the…
The problem of time is a deep paradox in our physical description of the world. According to Aristotle's relational theory, time is a measure of change and does not exist on its own. In contrast, quantum mechanics, just like Newtonian…
We consider a global quantum system (the "Universe") satisfying a double constraint, both on total energy and total momentum. Generalizing the Page and Wootters quantum clock formalism, we provide a model of 3+1 dimensional,…
We investigate three aspects of the supposed problem of time: The disagreement between the treatments of time in general relativity and quantum theory, the problem of recovering time from within an isolated Universe and the prevalence of a…
We consider the ambiguity associated with the choice of clock in time reparameterization invariant theories. This arbitrariness undermines the goal of prescribing a fixed set of physical laws, since a change of time variable can completely…
Time in quantum mechanics is peculiar: it is an observable that cannot be associated to an Hermitian operator. As a consequence it is impossible to explain dynamics in an isolated system without invoking an external classical clock, a fact…
Ordinary quantum mechanics is formulated on the basis of the existence of an ideal classical clock external to the system under study. This is clearly an idealization. As emphasized originally by Salecker and Wigner and more recently by…
The origin and nature of time in complex systems is explored using quantum (or 'Feynman') clocks and the signals produced by them. Networks of these clocks provide the basis for the evolution of complex systems. The general concept of…
A number of approaches to the problem of defining arrival and dwell time probabilities in quantum theory make use of idealised models of clocks. An interesting question is the extent to which the probabilities obtained in this way are…
Among the many proposals to approach the concept of time in quantum theory, the Page-Wootters mechanism has attracted much attention in the last few years. Originally, such a mechanism explored a stationary bipartite non-interacting global…
The understanding of time and dynamics can be elucidated by examining the concept of entanglement in quantum theory. This particular perspective on time is referred to as the timeless approach, which posits that the universe exists in a…