Related papers: Some Thoughts on the Quantum Theory of de Sitter S…
Every quantum state can be represented as a probability distribution over the outcomes of an informationally complete measurement. But not all probability distributions correspond to quantum states. Quantum state space may thus be thought…
We argue that quantum theory should proceed not from a spacetime background but from a Lie algebra, which is treated as a symmetry algebra. Then the fact that the cosmological constant is positive means not that the spacetime background is…
Quantized fields (e.g., the graviton itself) in de Sitter (dS) spacetime lead to particle production: specifically, we consider a thermal spectrum resulting from the dS (horizon) temperature. The energy required to excite these particles…
We discuss peculiarities of quantum fields in de Sitter space on the example of the self-interacting massive real scalar, minimally coupled to the gravity background. Non-conformal quantum field theories in de Sitter space show very special…
We consider scalar field theory in de Sitter space with a general vacuum invariant under the continuously connected symmetries of the de Sitter group. We begin by reviewing approaches to define this as a perturbative quantum field theory.…
We argue that, under certain plausible assumptions, de Sitter space settles into a quiescent vacuum in which there are no dynamical quantum fluctuations. Such fluctuations require either an evolving microstate, or time-dependent histories…
We consider quantum field theory in de Sitter space, focusing on the cases of scalars, spin 1/2 fields, and symmetric and anti-symmetric tensor fields of arbitrary spin. The free field equations in global coordinates can be reduced to a one…
We consider the quantum description of a toy model universe in which the Schwarzschild-de Sitter geometry emerges from the coherent state of a massless scalar field. Although highly idealised, this simple model allows us to find clear hints…
We propose a theory of quantum gravity which formulates the quantum theory as a nonperturbative path integral, where each spacetime history appears with a weight given by the exponentiated Einstein-Hilbert action of the corresponding causal…
We investigate the quantum Ricci curvature, which was introduced in earlier work, in full, four-dimensional quantum gravity, formulated nonperturbatively in terms of Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT). A key finding of the CDT approach…
If one tries to view de Sitter as a true (as opposed to a meta-stable) vacuum, there is a tension between the finiteness of its entropy and the infinite-dimensionality of its Hilbert space. We invetsigate the viability of one proposal to…
The $S$-matrix formulation indicates that a consistent embedding of de Sitter state in quantum gravity is possible exclusively as an excited quantum state constructed on top of a valid $S$-matrix vacuum such as Minkowski. In the present…
We argue that the main reason of crisis in quantum theory is that nature, which is fundamentally discrete and even finite, is described by classical mathematics involving the notions of infinitely small, continuity etc. Moreover, since…
An emergent theory of quantum measurement arises directly by considering the particular subset of many body wavefunctions that can be associated with classical condensed matter and its interaction with delocalized wavefunctions. This…
A quantum mechanical formulation of de Sitter cosmological spacetimes still eludes string theory. In this paper we conjecture a potentially rigorous framework in which the status of de Sitter space is the same as that of a resonance in a…
In these lectures we describe how a theory of quantum gravity may be constructed in terms of a lattice formulation based on so-called causal dynamical triangulations (CDT). We discuss how the continuum limit can be obtained and how to…
This paper deals with a study of the effects that spherically symmetric first-order metric perturbations and vacuum quantum fluctuations have on the stability of the multiply connected de Sitter spacetime recently proposed by Gott and Li.…
Consistency of the unconventional view of de Sitter space as a quantum theory of gravity with a finite number of degrees of freedom requires that Coleman-De Luccia tunneling rates to vacua with negative cosmological constant should be…
The Euclidean or Bunch-Davies O(4,1) invariant 'vacuum' state of quantum fields in global de Sitter space is shown to be unstable to small perturbations, even for a massive free field with no self-interactions. There are perturbations of…
Quantum cosmology is the quantum theory of the entire universe. Although strange at first sight, it is appropriate because (1) our world appears to be fundamentally quantum, (2) the classical description of gravity breaks down at…