Related papers: Causal monotonicity, omniscient foliations and the…
Some examples from the mathematics of shape are presented that question some of the almost hidden assumptions behind results on limiting behaviour of finitary approximations to space-time. These are presented so as to focus attention on the…
In this work we study the geometric properties of spacelike foliations by hypersurfaces on a Lorentz manifold. We find an equation that relates the foliation with the ambient manifold and apply it to investigate conditions for the leaves…
A theorem about local in time existence of spacelike foliations with prescribed mean curvature in cosmological spacetimes will be proved. The time function of the foliation is geometrically defined and fixes the diffeomorphism invariance…
We identify certain general geometric conditions on a foliation of a spacetime (M,g) by timelike curves that will impede the existence of null geodesic lines, especially if (M,g) possesses a compact Cauchy hypersurface. The absence of such…
In this work, we study the geometric properties of spacelike foliations by hypersurfaces on a Lorentz manifold. We investigate conditions for the leaves being stable, totally geodesic or totally umbilical. We consider that…
In this letter we discuss the possibility of treating the spacetime by itself as a kind of deformable body for which we can define an fundamental lattice, just like atoms in crystal lattices. We show three signs pointing in that direction.…
Space-time is one of the most essential, yet most mysterious concepts in physics. In quantum mechanics it is common to understand time as a marker of instances of evolution and define states around all the space but at one time; while in…
Suppose we assume that (a) information about a black hole is encoded in its Hawking radiation and (b) causality is not violated to leading order in gently curved spacetime. Then we argue that spacetime cannot just be described as a manifold…
Why is the manifold topology in a spacetime taken for granted? Why do we prefer to use Riemann open balls as basic-open sets, while there also exists a Lorentz metric? Which topology is a best candidate for a spacetime; a topology…
The conventional phase space of classical physics treats space and time differently, and this difference carries over to field theories and quantum mechanics (QM). In this paper, the phase space is enhanced through two main extensions.…
It is known that spherically symmetric spacetimes admit flat spacelike foliations. We point out a simple method of seeing this result via the Hamiltonian constraints of general relativity. The method yields explicit formulas for the…
This thesis is concerned with equidistant foliations of Euclidean space, i.e. partitions into complete, connected, properly embedded smooth submanifolds. The space of leaves is an Alexandrov space of nonnegative curvature and the canonical…
What is the shape of space is a long-standing question in cosmology. In this talk I review recent advances in cosmic topology since it has entered a new era of experimental tests. High redshift surveys of astronomical sources and accurate…
This article deals with empty spacetime and the question of its physical reality. By "empty spacetime" we mean a collection of bare spacetime points, the remains of ridding spacetime of all matter and fields. We ask whether these geometric…
Deformations of spacelike hypersurfaces in space-time play an important role in discussions of general covariance and slicing independence in gravitational theories. In a canonical formulation, they provide the geometrical meaning of gauge…
This paper deals with two aspects of relativistic cosmologies with closed (compact and boundless) spatial sections. These spacetimes are based on the theory of General Relativity, and admit a foliation into space sections S(t), which are…
In general relativity, cosmology and quantum field theory, spacetime is assumed to be an orientable manifold endowed with a Lorentz metric that makes it spatially and temporally orientable. The question as to whether the laws of physics…
Two questions are investigated by looking successively at classical mechanics, special relativity, and relativistic gravity: first, how is space related with spacetime? The proposed answer is that each given reference fluid, that is a…
We summarize the arguments that space and time are likely to be emergent notions; i.e. they are not present in the fundamental formulation of the theory, but appear as approximate macroscopic concepts. Along the way we briefly review…
A mathematical formalism for treating spacetime topology as a quantum observable is provided. We describe spacetime foam entirely in algebraic terms. To implement the correspondence principle we express the classical spacetime manifold of…