Planck-scale models of the Universe
| dc.creator | Markopoulou, Fotini | |
| dc.date | 2002-10-24 | |
| dc.date | 2002-11-07 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T03:27:17Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T03:27:17Z | |
| dc.description | Suppose the usual description of spacetime as a 4-dimensional manifold with a Lorentzian metric breaks down at Planck energies. Can we still construct sensible theoretical models of the universe? Are they testable? Do they lead to a consistent quantum cosmology? Is this cosmology different than the standard one? The answer is yes, to all these questions, assuming that quantum theory is still valid at this scale. I describe the basic features of such models, mainly quantum causal histories and spin foams. They are given by a partition function, similar to spin systems and lattice gauge theories. This suggests that we should treat this approach to quantum gravity as a problem in statistical physics, but with significant complications: there is no background and, in particular, no external time. Gravity and the familiar 3+1 manifold spacetime are to be derived as the low-energy continuum approximation to these models. | |
| dc.description | 19 pages, 8 figures. Invited contribution to ``Science & Ultimate Reality: From Quantum to Cosmos (Explorations Celebrating the Vision of John Archibald Wheeler)''. References added | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0210086 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0210086 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/34371 | |
| dc.subject | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology | |
| dc.subject | High Energy Physics - Theory | |
| dc.title | Planck-scale models of the Universe | |
| dc.type | text |