A measure for quantum paths, gravity and spacetime microstructure

DOI10.1142/S0218271819440097MaRDI QIDQ4960316zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors

Publication date 15 April 2020

Published in International Journal of Modern Physics D (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.10872

zbMATH Keywords

path integralPlanck lengthquantum measurespacetime microstructure

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Path integrals in quantum mechanics (81S40)

Abstract: The number of classical paths of a given length, connecting any two events in a (pseudo) Riemannian spacetime is, of course, infinite. It is, however, possible to define a useful, finite, measure $N(x_2,x_1;sigma)$ for the effective number of quantum paths [of length $sigma$ connecting two events $(x_1,x_2)$] in an arbitrary spacetime. When $x_2=x_1$, this reduces to $C(x,sigma)$ giving the measure for closed quantum loops of length $sigma$ containing an event $x$. Both $N(x_2,x_1;sigma)$ and $C(x,sigma)$ are well-defined and depend only on the geometry of the spacetime. Various other physical quantities like, for e.g., the effective Lagrangian, can be expressed in terms of $N(x_2,x_1;sigma)$. The corresponding measure for the total path length contributed by the closed loops, in a spacetime region $mathcalV$, is given by the integral of $L(sigma;x)equivsigmaC(sigma;x)$ over $mathcalV$. Remarkably enough $L(0;x)proptoR(x)$, the Ricci scalar; i.e, the measure for the total length contributed by infinitesimal closed loops in a region of spacetime gives us the Einstein-Hilbert action. Its variation, when we vary the metric, can provide a new route towards induced/emergent gravity descriptions. In the presence of a background electromagnetic field, the corresponding expressions for $N(x_2,x_1;sigma)$ and $C(x,sigma)$ can be related to the holonomies of the field. The measure $N(x_2,x_1;sigma)$ can also be used to evaluate a wide class of path integrals for which the action and the measure are arbitrary functions of the path length. As an example, I compute a modified path integral which incorporates the zero-point-length in the spacetime. I also describe several other properties of $N(x_2,x_1;sigma)$ and outline a few simple applications.

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Cites work

• Exploring the Rindler vacuum and the Euclidean plane
• Quantum field theory. The why, what and how
• Quantum fields in curved space.

Cited in

(8)

• An alternative path integral for quantum gravity
• Nash bosonization in path integral for quantum Riemannian geometry
• World quantum gravity: quantum test objects and Synge's world function
• \(\mathrm{ER}=\mathrm{EPR}\) and non-perturbative action integrals for quantum gravity
• Quantization of measure in gravitation
• A study of the action from kinematical integral geometry point of view
• Planck length: lost + found
• A note on observables for counting trails and paths in graphs

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