Related papers: Relational time in generally covariant quantum sys…
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…
We couple the issue of evolution in the laws of physics with that of violations of energy conservation. We define evolution in terms of time variables canonically dual to ``constants'' (such as $\Lambda$, the Planck mass or the…
The ``evolving constants'' method of defining the quantum dynamics of time-reparametrization-invariant theories is investigated for a particular implementation of parametrized non-relativistic quantum mechanics (PNRQM). The wide range of…
Beginning with the principle that a closed mechanical composite system is timeless, time can be defined by the regular changes in a suitable position coordinate (clock) in the observing part, when one part of the closed composite observes…
The quantum description of time evolution in non-linear gravitational systems such as cosmological space-times is not well understood. We show, in the simplified setting of mini-superspace, that time evolution of this system can be obtained…
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 describe the time evolution of quantum systems in a classical background space-time by means of a covariant derivative in an infinite dimensional vector bundle. The corresponding parallel transport operator along a timelike curve $\cC$…
We show that the emergence of time evolution in an otherwise timeless nonrelativistic closed quantum system -- viewed as a poor man's model of generally covariant quantum theory -- can be understood from the perspective of the path integral…
We characterize good clocks, which are naturally subject to fluctuations, in statistical terms. We also obtain the master equation that governs the evolution of quantum systems according to these clocks and find its general solution. This…
A general classical theorem is presented according to which all invariant relations among the space time metric scalars, when turned into functions on the Phase Space of full Pure Gravity (using the Canonical Equations of motion), become…
Irreversibility implies a preferred flow of time, yet special relativity denies the existence of a preferred clock. This tension has long obstructed the formulation of a relativistic master equation: standard Markovian approximations either…
In it's usual presentation, classical mechanics appears to give time a very special role. But it is well known that mechanics can be formulated so as to treat the time variable on the same footing as the other variables in the extended…
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…
Rovelli's `` quantum mechanics without time'' motivates an intrinsically time-slicing independent picture of reduced phase space quantum gravity, which may be described as ``quantization after evolution''. Sufficient criteria for carrying…
Hamiltonian mechanics describes the evolution of a system through its Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian typically also represents the energy observable, a Noether-conserved quantity associated with the time-invariance of the law of evolution. In…
We introduce a new class of quantum models with time-dependent Hamiltonians of a special scaling form. By using a couple of time-dependent unitary transformations, the time evolution of these models is expressed in terms of related systems…
The conflict between quantum theory and the theory of relativity is exemplified in their treatment of time. We examine the ways in which their conceptions differ, and describe a semiclassical clock model combining elements of both theories.…
The framework of a theory of gravity from the quantum to the classical regime is presented. The paradigm shift from full spacetime covariance to spatial diffeomorphism invariance, together with clean decomposition of the canonical…
We study classical Hamiltonian systems in which the intrinsic proper time evolution parameter is related through a probability distribution to the physical time, which is assumed to be discrete. In this way, a physical clock with discrete…
We present a generally covariant approach to quantum mechanics in which generalized positions, momenta and time variables are treated as coordinates on a fundamental "phase-spacetime." We show that this covariant starting point makes…