scholarly journals Canonical Quantum Gravity and the Problem of Time

Author(s):  
C. J. Isham
Author(s):  
Claus Kiefer

This chapter notes that quantum gravity places the concept of time on a new level. In the absence of experimental hints, mathematical and conceptual issues must be chosen as the guides in the search for such a theory. Just as reconceiving classical notions of time was key for Einstein, in his discovery of special relativity, so too many believe that time will again hold the clue for theoretical advancement, but this time with quantum gravity. The chapter details the challenge of reconciling quantum theory with relativity, concentrating especially on why time in particular causes trouble. It describes a result in canonical quantum gravity which is possibly of signal importance, namely, that fundamentally there is no time at all, and discusses the problem of time, quantization, semiclassical time, loop quantum gravity, and string theory.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1609-1638 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADRIAN P. GENTLE ◽  
NATHAN D. GEORGE ◽  
ARKADY KHEYFETS ◽  
WARNER A. MILLER

We compare different treatments of the constraints in canonical quantum gravity. The standard approach on the superspace of 3-geometries treats the constraints as the sole carriers of the dynamic content of the theory, thus rendering the traditional dynamical equations obsolete. Quantization of the constraints in both the Dirac and ADM square root Hamiltonian approaches leads to the well known problems of time evolution. These problems of time are of both an interpretational and technical nature. In contrast, the geometrodynamic quantization procedure on the superspace of the true dynamical variables separates the issues of quantization from the enforcement of the constraints. The resulting theory takes into account states that are off-shell with respect to the constraints, and thus avoids the problems of time. We develop, for the first time, the geometrodynamic quantization formalism in a general setting and show that it retains all essential features previously illustrated in the context of homogeneous cosmologies.


2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (14) ◽  
pp. 2305-2310 ◽  
Author(s):  
AXEL KLEINSCHMIDT ◽  
HERMANN NICOLAI

The arithmetic chaos of classical (super)gravity near a spacelike singularity is elevated to the quantum level via the construction of a cosmological quantum billiard system. Its precise formulation, together with its underlying algebraic structure, allows for a general analysis of the wavefunction of the universe near the singularity. We argue that the extension of these results beyond the billiard approximation may provide a concrete mechanism for emergent space as well as new perspectives on several long-standing issues in canonical quantum gravity. The exponentially growing complexity of the underlying symmetry structure could introduce an element of non-computability that effectively "screens" the cosmological singularity from a complete resolution.


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