Related papers: Can noncommutativity resolve the Big-Bang singular…
In this paper I raise a worry about the most extended resolutions of the problem of time of canonical quantizations of general relativity. The reason for this is that these resolutions are based on analogies with deparametrizable models for…
The possibility of avoiding the big bang singularity by means of a generalized uncertainty principle is investigated. In relation with this matter, the statistical mechanics of a free-particle system obeying the generalized uncertainty…
We consider an exotic `compactification' of spacetime in which there are two infinite extra dimensions, using a global string instead of a domain wall. By having a negative cosmological constant we prove the existence of a nonsingular…
A study of a riveting connection between noncommutativity and the anomalous dilatation (scale) symmetry is presented for a generalized quantum Hall system due to time dilatation transformations. On using the "Peierls substitution" scheme,…
We define a theory of noncommutative general relativity for canonical noncommutative spaces. We find a subclass of general coordinate transformations acting on canonical noncommutative spacetimes to be volume-preserving transformations.…
We show that in a large class of two dimensional models with conformal matter fields, the semiclassical cosmological solutions have a weak coupling singularity if the classical matter content is below a certain threshold. This threshold and…
We review recent efforts to construct gravitational theories on discrete space-times, usually referred to as the ``consistent discretization'' approach. The resulting theories are free of constraints at the canonical level and therefore…
We present a gauge-invariant treatment of singularity resolution using loop quantum gravity techniques with respect to local SU(2) transformations. Our analysis reveals many novel features of quantum geometry which were till now hidden in…
We examine the general issue of whether a scale dependent cosmological constant can be consistent with general covariance, a problem that arises naturally in the treatment of quantum gravitation where coupling constants generally run as a…
Via elementary examples it is demonstrated that the singularities of classical physics (sampled by the Big Bang in cosmology) need not necessarily get smeared out after quantization. It is proposed that the role of quantum singularities can…
We propose a new generalisation of general relativity which incorporates a variation in both the speed of light in vacuum (c) and the gravitational constant (G) and which is both covariant and Lorentz invariant. We solve the generalised…
We consider solutions of the linear heat equation with time-dependent singularities. It is shown that if a singularity is weaker than the order of the fundamental solution of the Laplace equation, then it is removable. We also consider the…
Following up on earlier work on the regularization of the singular Schwarzschild solution, we now apply the same procedure to the singular Friedmann solution. Specifically, we are able to remove the divergences of the big bang singularity,…
We study string theory in supersymmetric time-dependent backgrounds. In the framework of general relativity, supersymmetry for spacetimes without flux implies the existence of a covariantly constant null vector, and a relatively simple form…
A key incentive of quantum gravity is the removal of spacetime singularities plaguing the classical theory. We compute the non-perturbative momentum-dependence of a specific structure function within the gravitational asymptotic safety…
It is generically believed that higher-order curvature corrections to the Einstein-Hilbert action might cure the curvature singularities that plague general relativity. Here we consider Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, the only…
Three of the big puzzles of theoretical physics are the following: (i) There is apparently no time evolution in the dynamics of quantum general relativity, because the allowed quantum states must obey the Hamiltonian constraint. (ii) During…
General Relativity receives quantum corrections relevant at cosmological distance scales from the conformal scalar degrees of freedom required by the trace anomaly of the quantum stress tensor in curved space. In the theory including the…
The theory of relativity associates a proper time with each moving object via its world line. In quantum theory however, such well-defined trajectories are forbidden. After introducing a general characterisation of quantum clocks, we…
In this essay, we argue that the problem of time should not be regarded as an issue to be resolved within the prevailing framework for studying quantum gravity, but rather as an indication that there is an issue within the framework itself.…