Related papers: Discrete scalar fields and general relativity
What is the nature - continuous or discrete - of matter and of its fundamental interactions? The physical meaning, the properties and the consequences of a discrete scalar field are discussed; limits for the validity of a mathematical…
The physical meaning, the properties and the consequences of a discrete scalar field are discussed; limits for the validity of a mathematical description of fundamental physics in terms of continuous fields are a natural outcome of discrete…
A discrete field formalism exposes the physical meaning and origins of gauge fields, their symmetries and singularities. They represent a lack of a stricter field-source coherence.
Gravity theories with non-minimally coupled scalar fields are used as characteristic examples in order to demonstrate the challenges, pitfalls and future perspectives of considering alternatives to general relativity. These lecture notes…
Why are there no fundamental scalar fields actually observed in physics today? Scalars are the simplest fields, but once we go beyond Galilean-Newtonian physics they appear only in speculations, as possible determinants of the gravitational…
A scalar quantum field theory defined on a discrete spatial coordinate is examined. The renormalization of the lattice propagator is discussed with an emphasis on the periodic nature of the associated momentum coordinate. The analytic…
We assume that the points in volumes smaller than an elementary volume (which may have a Planck size) are indistinguishable in any physical experiment. This naturally leads to a picture of a discrete space with a finite number of degrees of…
The notions of mass and range of a Brans-Dicke-like scalar field in scalar-tensor and f(R) gravity are subject to an ambiguity that hides a potential trap. We spell out this ambiguity and identify a physically meaningful and practical…
The use of proper time as a tool for causality implementation in field theory is clarified and extended to allow a manifestly covariant definition of discrete fields proper to be applied in field theory and quantum mechanics. It implies on…
Scalar fields describe interesting phenomena such as Higgs bosons, dark matter and dark energy, and are found to be quite common in physical theories. These fields are susceptible to gravitational forces so that being massless is not enough…
The effect of the massless gravitational scalar field assumed to couple directly to the Maxwell field to the solar-system experiments is estimated. We start with discussing the theoretical significances of this coupling. Rather…
We investigate the dynamics of gravity coupled to a scalar field using a non-canonical form of the kinetic term. It is shown that its singular point represents an attractor for classical solutions and the stationary value of the field may…
General relativity is highly successful in explaining a wide range of gravitational phenomena including the gravitational waves emitted by binary systems and the shadows cast by supermassive black holes. From a modern perspective the theory…
In these lectures general relativity is outlined as the classical field theory of gravity, emphasizing physical phenomena rather than mathematical formalism. Dynamical solutions representing traveling waves as well as stationary fields like…
The possibility that global discrete dilation invariance is a fundamental symmetry principle of nature is explored. If the discrete self-similarity observed in nature is exact, then the Principle of General Covariance needs to be broadened…
The asymptotic behavior of the scalar field and its physical meaning are discussed for T=0 and T\neq 0 for the large enough coupling parameter \omega. The special character of the Brans-Dicke theory is also discussed for local and…
In the most general formulation of gravity, the metric and connection are independent degrees of freedom, and the connection may include torsion and non-metricity (or distortion, collectively) degrees of freedom, resulting in a huge number…
The dynamics of cosmic scalar fields with flat potential is studied. Their contribution to the expansion rate of the universe is analyzed, and their behaviour in a simple model of phase transitions is discussed.
We focus on the question: "Is space fundamentally discrete or continuous?" in the context of current quantum gravity research. In particular, we paint a scenario based on the idea that 'quantum space' is a sort of peculiar condensed matter…
The divergences coming from a particular sector of gravitational fluctuations around a generic background in general theories of quadratic gravity are analyzed. They can be summarized in a particular type of scalar model, whose properties…