Related papers: D-particles and the localization limit in quantum …
By taking into account both quantum mechanical and general relativistic effects, I derive an equation that describes some limitations on the measurability of space-time distances. I then discuss possible features of quantum gravity which…
A deformation of special relativistic kinematics (possible signal of a theory of quantum gravity at low energies) leads to a modification of the notion of spacetime. At the classical level, this modification is required when one considers a…
Several approaches to the quantum-gravity problem predict that spacetime should be "fuzzy", but have been so far unable to provide a crisp physical characterization of this notion. An intuitive picture of spacetime fuzziness has been…
The extreme smallness of both the Planck length, on the one side, and the ratio of the gravitational to the electrical forces between, say, two electrons, on the other side has led to a widespread belief that the realm of quantum gravity is…
Several approaches to the investigation of the quantum-gravity problem have provided "theoretical evidence" of a role for the Planck scale in characterizing the geometry of momentum space. One of the main obstructions for a full…
String theory suggests the existence of a minimum length scale. An exciting quantum mechanical implication of this feature is a modification of the uncertainty principle. In contrast to the conventional approach, this generalised…
We show that an unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity implies that there is a fundamental length in Nature in the sense that no operational procedure would be able to measure distances shorter than the Planck length.…
In Einstein's gedankenexperiment for measuring space and time, an ensemble of clocks moving through curved spacetime measures geometry by sending signals back and forth, as in the global positioning system (GPS). Combining well-known…
Inspired by the work of Wheeler among others, we have studied the problem of quantum measurements of space-time distances by applying the general principles of quantum mechanics as well as those of general relativity. Contrary to the…
"Doubly-special relativity" (DSR), the idea of a Planck-scale Minkowski limit that is still a relativistic theory, but with both the Planck scale and the speed-of-light scale as nontrivial relativistic invariants, was proposed…
Proximity measurements probe whether pairs of particles are close to one another. We consider the impact of post-selected random proximity measurements on a quantum fluid of many distinguishable particles. We show that such measurements…
The starting point of this work is the axiomatic existence of a smallest measurable interval, viz. the Planck time $t_P$, set by quantum fluctuations in the vacuum metric tensor. By the Relativity Principle, the same limit must then apply…
The combination of quantum theory and special relativity leads to structures that differ in several respects from non-relativistic quantum mechanics of particles. These differences are quite familiar to practitioners of Algebraic Quantum…
Relativity and quantum mechanics are generalized by considering a finite limit for the smallest measurable distance. The value a of this quantum of length is unknown, but it is a universal constant, like c and h. It depends on the total…
The notion of a space-time uncertainty principle in string theory is clarified and further developed. The motivation and the derivation of the principle are first reviewed in a reasonably self-contained way. It is then shown that the…
The study of physics at the Planck scale has garnered significant attention due to its implications for understanding the fundamental nature of the universe. At the Planck scale, quantum fluctuations challenge the classical notion of…
A critical length has recently been identified that appears to provide a fundamental limit distinguishing quantum behavior from classical behavior. Because of the unique association between critical length and mass, it appears that we can…
We show that existing low energy experiments, searching for the breaking of local Lorentz invariance, set bounds upon string theory inspired quantum gravity models that induce corrections to the propagation of fields. In the D-particle…
I describe our understanding of physics near the planck length, in particular the great progress of the last four years in string theory. Superstring theory, and a recent extension called M theory, are leading candidates for a quantum…
The relevance of the Planck scale to a theory of quantum gravity has become a worryingly little examined assumption that goes unchallenged in the majority of research in this area. However, in all scientific honesty, the significance of…