scholarly journals The Hilbert space of quantum gravity is locally finite-dimensional

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 1743013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Bao ◽  
Sean M. Carroll ◽  
Ashmeet Singh
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Hilbert Space ◽  
Quantum Gravity ◽  
Density Operator ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
Locally Finite ◽  
Finite Dimensional ◽  
Model Independent

We argue in a model-independent way that the Hilbert space of quantum gravity is locally finite-dimensional. In other words, the density operator describing the state corresponding to a small region of space, when such a notion makes sense, is defined on a finite-dimensional factor of a larger Hilbert space. Because quantum gravity potentially describes superpositions of different geometries, it is crucial that we associate Hilbert-space factors with spatial regions only on individual decohered branches of the universal wave function. We discuss some implications of this claim, including the fact that quantum-field theory cannot be a fundamental description of nature.

scholarly journals How low can vacuum energy go when your fields are finite-dimensional?

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (14) ◽  
pp. 1944006
Author(s):  
ChunJun Cao ◽  
Aidan Chatwin-Davies ◽  
Ashmeet Singh
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Vacuum Energy ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
Locally Finite ◽  
Finite Dimensional ◽  
Finite Dimensionality ◽  
Klein Gordon ◽  
Dimensional Version

According to the holographic bound, there is only a finite density of degrees of freedom in space when gravity is taken into account. Conventional quantum field theory does not conform to this bound, since in this framework, infinitely many degrees of freedom may be localized to any given region of space. In this paper, we explore the viewpoint that quantum field theory may emerge from an underlying theory that is locally finite-dimensional, and we construct a locally finite-dimensional version of a Klein–Gordon scalar field using generalized Clifford algebras. Demanding that the finite-dimensional field operators obey a suitable version of the canonical commutation relations makes this construction essentially unique. We then find that enforcing local finite dimensionality in a holographically consistent way leads to a huge suppression of the quantum contribution to vacuum energy, to the point that the theoretical prediction becomes plausibly consistent with observations.

scholarly journals Ghost problems from Pauli–Villars to fourth-order quantum gravity and their resolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (14) ◽  
pp. 2043009
Author(s):  
Philip D. Mannheim
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Hilbert Space ◽  
Quantum Gravity ◽  
Fourth Order ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
Quantum Theories ◽  
Inner Products ◽  
History Of ◽  
Theories Of Gravity

We review the history of the ghost problem in quantum field theory from the Pauli–Villars regulator theory to currently popular fourth-order derivative quantum gravity theories. While these theories all appear to have unitarity-violating ghost states with negative norm, we show that in fact these ghost states only appear because the theories are being formulated in the wrong Hilbert space. In these theories, the Hamiltonians are not Hermitian but instead possess an antilinear symmetry. Consequently, one cannot use inner products that are built out of states and their Hermitian conjugates. Rather, one must use inner products built out of states and their conjugates with respect to the antilinear symmetry, and these latter inner products are positive. In this way, one can build quantum theories of gravity in four spacetime dimensions that are unitary.

Dense Subalgebras of Left Hilbert Algebras

1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1245-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. van Daele
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Hilbert Space ◽  
Von Neumann Algebra ◽  
Separable Hilbert Space ◽  
Cyclic Vector ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
Von Neumann ◽  
Hilbert Algebras

Let M be a von Neumann algebra acting on a Hilbert space and assume that M has a separating and cyclic vector ω in . Then it can happen that M contains a proper von Neumann subalgebra N for which ω is still cyclic. Such an example was given by Kadison in [4]. He considered and acting on where is a separable Hilbert space. In fact by a result of Dixmier and Maréchal, M, M′ and N have a joint cyclic vector [3]. Also Bratteli and Haagerup constructed such an example ([2], example 4.2) to illustrate the necessity of one of the conditions in the main result of their paper. In fact this situation seems to occur rather often in quantum field theory (see [1] Section 24.2, [3] and [4]).

scholarly journals Infinite dimensional Langevin equation and Fokker-Planck equation

1981 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 177-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshio Miyahara
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Hilbert Space ◽  
Partial Differential Equations ◽  
Langevin Equation ◽  
Planck Equation ◽  
Theory Theory ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
Filtering Theory ◽  
Infinite Dimensional

Stochastic processes on a Hilbert space have been discussed in connection with quantum field theory, theory of partial differential equations involving random terms, filtering theory in electrical engineering and so forth, and the theory of those processes has greatly developed recently by many authors (A. B. Balakrishnan [1, 2], Yu. L. Daletskii [7], D. A. Dawson [8, 9], Z. Haba [12], R. Marcus [18], M. Yor [26]).

The Higgs impact on Einstein’s gravity: The Einstein–Kraichnan quantum gravity

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (02n03) ◽  
pp. 2040012
Author(s):  
M. D. Maia ◽  
V. B. Bezerra
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Standard Model ◽  
Quantum Gravity ◽  
Higgs Mechanism ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
Einstein’S Equations ◽  
Einstein's Equations ◽  
Fundamental Interactions ◽  
The Standard Model

An updated review of Kraichnan’s derivation of Einstein’s equations from quantum field theory is presented, including the period after the discovery of the Higgs mechanism and the inclusion of gravitation within the Standard Model of Fundamental Interactions.

scholarly journals QUANTUM FIELD THEORY ON CURVED BACKGROUNDS — A PRIMER

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (17) ◽  
pp. 1330023 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARCO BENINI ◽  
CLAUDIO DAPPIAGGI ◽  
THOMAS-PAUL HACK
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Hilbert Space ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Algebraic Approach ◽  
Quantum Field Theories ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
System A ◽  
Step Procedure ◽  
Free Fields

Goal of this paper is to introduce the algebraic approach to quantum field theory on curved backgrounds. Based on a set of axioms, first written down by Haag and Kastler, this method consists of a two-step procedure. In the first one, it is assigned to a physical system a suitable algebra of observables, which is meant to encode all algebraic relations among observables, such as commutation relations. In the second step, one must select an algebraic state in order to recover the standard Hilbert space interpretation of a quantum system. As quantum field theories possess infinitely many degrees of freedom, many unitarily inequivalent Hilbert space representations exist and the power of such approach is the ability to treat them all in a coherent manner. We will discuss in detail the algebraic approach for free fields in order to give the reader all necessary information to deal with the recent literature, which focuses on the applications to specific problems, mostly in cosmology.

Photon-added chaotic field and its damping in a thermo enviroment

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Yi Fan ◽  
Rui He
Keyword(s):  
Field Theory ◽  
Quantum Field Theory ◽  
Density Operator ◽  
Laguerre Polynomial ◽  
Quantum Field ◽  
Initial Field ◽  
Normal Ordering ◽  
Chaotic Field ◽  
Amplitude Damping Channel ◽  
Time Evolution Equation

We propose a new photon field in quantum field theory, named Laguerre-polynomial-weighted chaotic field. This field will emerge when an initial photon-added chaotic field, which is represented by its density operator [Formula: see text], dissipates in an amplitude damping channel described by time evolution equation [Formula: see text], where κ is a damping coefficient, that is, the initial field will evolve into [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], where Ls is the s-order Laguerre-polynomial, and : : denotes normal ordering. We employ the method of summation within an ordered product of operators to obtain our result.

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