Related papers: Spacetime Relationalism in GR and QG

The Einsteinian Theory of Gravitation ("General Theory of Relativity") is founded essentially; on the reception that the geometrical properties of the 4-dimensional space-time continuum are defined from the matter in it. Contrary to this,…

According to General Relativity gravity is the result of the interaction between matter and space-time geometry. In this interaction space-time geometry itself is dynamical: it can store and transport energy and momentum in the form of…

A new (more general) definition of the measurability concept not related to the principle of uncertainty is given. Then gravity is studied within the scope of this notion. The measurable format of General Relativity (GR) is constructed and…

Symmetries are a central concept in our understanding of physics. In quantum theories, a quantum reference frame (QRF) can be used to distinguish between observables related by a symmetry. The framework of operational QRFs provides a means…

Familiar textbook quantum mechanics assumes a fixed background spacetime to define states on spacelike surfaces and their unitary evolution between them. Quantum theory has changed as our conceptions of space and time have evolved. But…

We consider Hilbert's problem of the axioms of Physics at a qualitative or conceptual level. This issue is more pressing than ever as we seek to understand how both General Relativity and quantum theory could emerge from some deeper theory…

Time, space, and matter are categories of our reasoning, whose properties appear to be fundamental. However, these require a scrutiny as in the extreme regime of the primordial universe these present quantum properties. What does it mean…

Gravitation, according to General Relativity, is an attribute of space-time's geometry and hence not a force in the Newtonian sense. This is a consequence of Einstein's equivalence principle, which so far passed all experimental tests with…

I examine the debate between substantivalists and relationalists about the ontological character of spacetime and conclude it is not well posed. I argue that the so-called Hole Argument does not bear on the debate, because it provides no…

It is shown that space-time may be not only in a state which is described by Riemann geometry but also in states which are described by Finsler geometry. Transitions between various metric states of space-time have the meaning of phase…

We review some properties of the space of connections as the natural arena for canonical (quantum) gravity, and compare to the case of the superspace of 3-metrics. We detail how a 1-parameter family of metrics on the space of connections…

In quantum gravity there is no notion of absolute time. Like all other quantities in the theory, the notion of time has to be introduced "relationally", by studying the behavior of some physical quantities in terms of others chosen as a…

Classical gravity can be described as a relational dynamical system without ever appealing to spacetime or its geometry. This description is the so-called shape dynamics description of gravity. The existence of relational first principles…

We discuss the emergence of time in quantum gravity, and ask whether time is always "something that flows"'. We first recall that this is indeed the case in both relativity and quantum mechanics, although in very different manners: time…

The theoretical framework established in arXiv:quant-ph/0404103 is extended to deal with possible astrophysical manifestations of phenomena involving reverse, as well as forward, causation in time. The basic idea is that space-time…

Spacetime, understood as a globally hyperbolic manifold, may be characterized by spectral data using a 3+1 splitting into space and time, a description of space by spectral triples and by employing causal relationships, as proposed earlier.…

The proposal of this work is to provide an answer to the following question: is it possible to treat the metric of space-time - that in General Relativity (GR) describes the gravitational interaction - as an effective geometry? In other…

The contemporary physics has revealed growing evidences that the emergence can be applied to not only biology and condensed matter systems but also gravity and spacetime. We observe that noncommutative spacetime necessarily implies emergent…

Based on a clear ontology of material individuals, we analyze in detail the factual semantics of quantum theory, and argue that the basic mathematical formalism of quantum theory is just okay with (a certain form of ) realism and that it is…

We survey indications from different branches of Physics that the fine scale structure of spacetime is not adequately described by a manifold. Based on the hints we accumulate, we propose a new structure, which we call a quantum topos. In…