English

Path Integrals, Density Matrices, and Information Flow with Closed Timelike Curves

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2009-10-22 v1 High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

Two formulations of quantum mechanics, inequivalent in the presence of closed timelike curves, are studied in the context of a soluable system. It illustrates how quantum field nonlinearities lead to a breakdown of unitarity, causality, and superposition using a path integral. Deutsch's density matrix approach is causal but typically destroys coherence. For each of these formulations I demonstrate that there are yet further alternatives in prescribing the handling of information flow (inequivalent to previous analyses) that have implications for any system in which unitarity or coherence are not preserved.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.gr-qc/9310027,
  title  = {Path Integrals, Density Matrices, and Information Flow with Closed Timelike Curves},
  author = {H. David Politzer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:gr-qc/9310027},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

25 pages, phyzzx, CALT-68-1886

R2 v1 2026-07-22T12:48:37.323Z