Events and observables in generally invariant spacetime theories

DOI10.1007/S10701-008-9235-ZMaRDI QIDQ1013695zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Sebastiano Sonego, Hans F. Westman

Publication date 21 April 2009

Published in Foundations of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0708.1825

zbMATH Keywords

eventsgeneral covariancehole argumentobservablesspacetime

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Quantum field theory on curved space or space-time backgrounds (81T20) Methods of quantum field theory in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C47)

Abstract: We address the problem of observables in generally invariant spacetime theories such as Einstein's general relativity. Using the refined notion of an event as a ``point-coincidence between scalar fields that completely characterise a spacetime model, we propose a generalisation of the relational local observables that does not require the existence of four everywhere invertible scalar fields. The collection of all point-coincidences forms in generic situations a four-dimensional manifold, that is naturally identified with the physical spacetime.

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Cites work

• Coordinates, observables and symmetry in relativity
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3188306 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3045692 (Why is no real title available?)
• Observables in General Relativity
• Partial and complete observables for canonical general relativity
• Quantum Gravity
• Remarks on the notions of general covariance and background independence

Cited in

(6)

• Which worldlines represent possible particle histories?
• Three denials of time in the interpretation of canonical gravity
• The physical role of gravitational and gauge degrees of freedom in general relativity. II: Dirac versus Bergmann observables and the objectivity of space-time
• Foundations of anisotropic relativistic mechanics
• Coordinates, observables and symmetry in relativity
• Ordering events in Minkowski space

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