Related papers: The reliability horizon
In this note I introduce the notion of the ``reliability horizon'' for semi-classical quantum gravity. This reliability horizon is an attempt to quantify the extent to which we should trust semi-classical quantum gravity, and to get a…
The entropy of apparent horizons is derived using coherent states or semiclassical states in quantum gravity. The leading term is proportional to area for large horizons, and the correction terms differ according to the details of the graph…
One of the most important issues in quantum gravity is to identify its semi-classical regime. First the issue is to define for we mean by a semi-classical theory of quantum gravity, then we would like to use it to extract physical…
An attempt is made to go beyond the standard semi-classical approximation for gravity in the Born-Oppenheimer decomposition of the wave-function in minisuperspace. New terms are included which correspond to quantum gravitational…
The semiclassical gravity describes gravitational back-reactions of the classical spacetime interacting with quantum matter fields but the quantum effects on the background is formally defined as higher derivative curvatures. These induce…
The claim that at the so-called Planck scale our current physics breaks down and a new theory of quantum gravity is required is ubiquitous, but the evidence is shakier than the confidence of those assertions warrants. In this paper, I…
In the context of semiclassical gravity, the semiclassical Einstein equation is often invoked when backreaction of quantum matter/fields on the spacetime is at stake. It is expected to hold when quantum fluctuations are small. Yet, it is…
Quantum gravity is known to be mostly a kind of metaphysical speculation. In this brief essay, we try to argue that, although still extremely difficult to reach, observational signatures can in fact be expected. The early universe is an…
Semi-classical gravity attempts to define a hybrid theory in which a classical gravitational field is coupled to a unitarily evolving quantum state. Although semi-classical gravity is inconsistent with observation, a viable theory of this…
At the Planck scale the distinction between elementary particles and black holes becomes fuzzy. The very definition of a "quantum black hole" (QBH) is an open issue. Starting from the idea that, at the Planck scale, the radius of the event…
A quantitative test for the validity of the semi-classical approximation in gravity is given. The criterion proposed is that solutions to the semi-classical Einstein equations should be stable to linearized perturbations, in the sense that…
Planck scale physics represents a future challenge, located between particle physics and general relativity. The Planck scale marks a threshold beyond which the old description of spacetime breaks down and conceptually new phenomena must…
Cosmic censorship posits spacetime singularities remain concealed behind event horizons, preserving the determinism of General Relativity. While quantum gravity is expected to resolve singularities, we argue that cosmic censorship remains…
In any space-time, it is possible to have a family of observers who have access to only part of the space-time manifold, because of the existence of a horizon. We demand that \emph{physical theories in a given coordinate system must be…
In semiclassical gravity the back-reaction of the classical gravitational field interacting with quantum matter fields is described by the semiclassical Einstein equations. A criterion for the validity of semiclassical gravity based on the…
Quantum gravity is studied in a semiclassical approximation and it is found that to first order in the Planck length the effect of quantum gravity is to make the low energy effective spacetime metric energy dependent. The diffeomorphism…
It has recently been shown via an equivalence of gravitational radius and Compton wavelength in four dimensions that the trans-Planckian regime of gravity may by semi-classical, and that this point is defined by a minimum horizon radius…
In this brief report I introduce a yet another class of geometries for which semi-classical chronology protection theorems are of dubious physical reliability. I consider a ``Roman ring'' of traversable wormholes, wherein a number of…
The ordinary quantum theory points out that general relativity is negligible for spatial distances up to the Planck scale. Consistency in the foundations of the quantum theory requires a``soft'' spacetime structure of the general relativity…
The origin of cosmic structure is widely regarded as quantum, yet the Universe today appears classical. Standard lore attributes this to a "quantum-to-classical" transition on super-horizon scales during inflation. Gravity plays a central…