Is the local linearity of space-time inherited from the linearity of probabilities?

DOI10.1088/1751-8121/AA523BzbMATH Open1357.81050arXiv1608.08684OpenAlexW3099781467MaRDI QIDQ2965730FDOQ2965730

Markus Müller, Sylvain Carrozza, Philipp A. Höhn

Publication date: 3 March 2017

Published in: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The appearance of linear spaces, describing physical quantities by vectors and tensors, is ubiquitous in all of physics, from classical mechanics to the modern notion of local Lorentz invariance. However, as natural as this seems to the physicist, most computer scientists would argue that something like a "local linear tangent space" is not very typical and in fact a quite surprising property of any conceivable world or algorithm. In this paper, we take the perspective of the computer scientist seriously, and ask whether there could be any inherently information-theoretic reason to expect this notion of linearity to appear in physics. We give a series of simple arguments, spanning quantum information theory, group representation theory, and renormalization in quantum gravity, that supports a surprising thesis: namely, that the local linearity of space-time might ultimately be a consequence of the linearity of probabilities. While our arguments involve a fair amount of speculation, they have the virtue of being independent of any detailed assumptions on quantum gravity, and they are in harmony with several independent recent ideas on emergent space-time in high-energy physics.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.08684

zbMATH Keywords

spacetimequantum gravityquantum informationrenormalizationquantum foundationsstatistical models

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Quantum coherence, entanglement, quantum correlations (81P40) Quantum information, communication, networks (quantum-theoretic aspects) (81P45) Gravitational interaction in quantum theory (81V17)

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