Constraints on Cosmology and Quantum Gravity from Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory
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Estimating Remaining Lifetime of Humanity Abstract 1. Introduction
Estimating remaining lifetime of humanity Yigal Gurevich [email protected] Abstract In this paper, we estimate the remaining time for human existence, applying the Doomsday argument and the Strong Self-Sampling Assumption to the reference class consisting of all members of the Homo sapiens, formulating calculations in traditional demographic terms of population and time, using the theory of parameter estimation and available paleodemographic data. The remaining lifetime estimate is found to be 170 years, and the probability of extinction in the coming year is estimated as 0.43%. 1. Introduction Modern humans, Homo sapiens, exist according to available data for at least 130,000 years [4], [5]. It is interesting, however, to estimate the time remaining for the survival of humanity. To determine this value there was proposed the so-called doomsday argument [1] - probabilistic reasoning that predicts the future of the human species, given only an estimate of the total number of humans born so far. This method was first proposed by Brandon Carter in 1983 [2]. Nick Bostrom modified the method by formulating the Strong Self-Sampling Assumption (SSSA): each observer-moment should reason as if it were randomly selected from the class of all observer-moments in its reference class. [3]. In this paper, we apply the SSSA method to the reference class consisting of all members of our species, formulating calculations in traditional demographic terms of population and time, using the parameter estimation theory and the available paleodemographic data. 1 To estimate the remaining time t we will fulfill the assumption that the observer has an equal chance to be anyone at any time. -
Anthropic Measure of Hominid (And Other) Terrestrials. Brandon Carter Luth, Observatoire De Paris-Meudon
Anthropic measure of hominid (and other) terrestrials. Brandon Carter LuTh, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon. Provisional draft, April 2011. Abstract. According to the (weak) anthropic principle, the a priori proba- bility per unit time of finding oneself to be a member of a particular popu- lation is proportional to the number of individuals in that population, mul- tiplied by an anthropic quotient that is normalised to unity in the ordinary (average adult) human case. This quotient might exceed unity for conceiv- able superhuman extraterrestrials, but it should presumably be smaller for our terrestrial anthropoid relations, such as chimpanzees now and our pre- Neanderthal ancestors in the past. The (ethically relevant) question of how much smaller can be addressed by invoking the anthropic finitude argument, using Bayesian reasonning, whereby it is implausible a posteriori that the total anthropic measure should greatly exceed the measure of the privileged subset to which we happen to belong, as members of a global civilisation that has (recently) entered a climactic phase with a timescale of demographic expansion and technical development short compared with a breeding gen- eration. As well as “economist’s dream” scenarios with continual growth, this finitude argument also excludes “ecologist’s dream” scenarios with long term stabilisation at some permanently sustainable level, but it it does not imply the inevitability of a sudden “doomsday” cut-off. A less catastrophic likelihood is for the population to decline gradually, after passing smoothly through a peak value that is accounted for here as roughly the information content ≈ 1010 of our genome. The finitude requirement limits not just the future but also the past, of which the most recent phase – characterised by memetic rather than genetic evolution – obeyed the Foerster law of hyperbolic population growth. -
UC Santa Barbara Other Recent Work
UC Santa Barbara Other Recent Work Title Geopolitics, History, and International Relations Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29z457nf Author Robinson, William I. Publication Date 2009 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE ASSOCIATION • NEW YORK Geopolitics, History, and International Relations VOLUME 1(2) • 2009 ADDLETON ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS • NEW YORK Geopolitics, History, and International Relations 1(2) 2009 An international peer-reviewed academic journal Copyright © 2009 by the Contemporary Science Association, New York Geopolitics, History, and International Relations seeks to explore the theoretical implications of contemporary geopolitics with particular reference to territorial problems and issues of state sovereignty, and publishes papers on contemporary world politics and the global political economy from a variety of methodologies and approaches. Interdisciplinary and wide-ranging in scope, Geopolitics, History, and International Relations also provides a forum for discussion on the latest developments in the theory of international relations and aims to promote an understanding of the breadth, depth and policy relevance of international history. Its purpose is to stimulate and disseminate theory-aware research and scholarship in international relations throughout the international academic community. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations offers important original contributions by outstanding scholars and has the potential to become one of the leading journals in the field, embracing all aspects of the history of relations between states and societies. Journal ranking: A on a seven-point scale (A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, D). Geopolitics, History, and International Relations is published twice a year by Addleton Academic Publishers, 30-18 50th Street, Woodside, New York, 11377. -
It from Qubit Simons Collaboration on Quantum Fields, Gravity, and Information
It from Qubit Simons Collaboration on Quantum Fields, Gravity, and Information GOALS Developments over the past ten years have shown that major advances in our understanding of quantum gravity, quantum field theory, and other aspects of fundamental physics can be achieved by bringing to bear insights and techniques from quantum information theory. Nonetheless, fundamental physics and quantum information theory remain distinct disciplines and communities, separated by significant barriers to communication and collaboration. Funded by a grant from the Simons Foundation, It from Qubit is a large-scale effort by some of the leading researchers in both communities to foster communication, education, and collaboration between them, thereby advancing both fields and ultimately solving some of the deepest problems in physics. The overarching scientific questions motivating the Collaboration include: ● Does spacetime emerge from entanglement? ● Do black holes have interiors? Does the universe exist outside our horizon? ● What is the information-theoretic structure of quantum field theories? ● Can quantum computers simulate all physical phenomena? ● How does quantum information flow in time? MEMBERSHIP It from Qubit is led by 16 Principal Investigators from 15 institutions in 6 countries: ● Patrick Hayden, Director (Stanford University) ● Matthew Headrick, Deputy Director (Brandeis University) ● Scott Aaronson (MIT) ● Dorit Aharonov (Hebrew University) ● Vijay Balasubramanian (University of Pennsylvania) ● Horacio Casini (Bariloche -
The End of the World: the Science and Ethics of Human Extinction John Leslie
THE END OF THE WORLD ‘If you want to know what the philosophy professors have got to say, John Leslie’s The End of the World is the book to buy. His willingness to grasp the nettles makes me admire philosophers for tackling the big questions.’ THE OBSERVER ‘Leslie’s message is bleak but his touch is light. Wit, after all, is preferable to the desperation which, in the circumstances, seems the only other response.’ THE TIMES ‘John Leslie is one of a very small group of philosophers thoroughly conversant with the latest ideas in physics and cosmology. Moreover, Leslie is able to write about these ideas with wit, clarity and penetrating insight. He has established himself as a thinker who is unafraid to tackle the great issues of existence, and able to sift discerningly through the competing— and frequently bizarre—concepts emanating from fundamental research in the physical sciences. Leslie is undoubtedly the world’s expert on Brandon Carter’s so-called Doomsday Argument—a philosophical poser that is startling yet informative, seemingly outrageous yet intriguing, and ultimately both disturbing and illuminating. With his distinctive and highly readable style, combined with a bold and punchy treatment, Leslie offers a fascinating glimpse of the power of human reasoning to deduce our place in the universe.’ PAUL DAVIES, PROFESSOR OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, AUTHOR OF THE LAST THREE MINUTES ‘This book is vintage John Leslie: it presents a bold and provocative thesis supported by a battery of arguments and references to the most recent advances in science. Leslie is one of the most original and interesting thinkers today. -
A Paradox Regarding Monogamy of Entanglement
A paradox regarding monogamy of entanglement Anna Karlsson1;2 1Institute for Advanced Study, School of Natural Sciences 1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA 2Division of Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden Abstract In density matrix theory, entanglement is monogamous. However, we show that qubits can be arbitrarily entangled in a different, recently constructed model of qubit entanglement [1]. We illustrate the differences between these two models, analyse how the density matrix property of monogamy of entanglement originates in assumptions of classical correlations in the construc- tion of that model, and explain the counterexample to monogamy in the alternative model. We conclude that monogamy of entanglement is a theoretical assumption, not necessarily a phys- ical property, and discuss how contemporary theory relies on that assumption. The properties of entanglement entropy are very different in the two models — a priori, the entropy in the alternative model is classical. arXiv:1911.09226v2 [hep-th] 7 Feb 2020 Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Indications of a presence of general entanglement . .2 1.2 Non-signalling and detection of general entanglement . .3 1.3 Summary and overview . .4 2 Analysis of the partial trace 5 3 A counterexample to monogamy of entanglement 5 4 Implications for entangled systems 7 A More details on the different correlation models 9 B Entropy in the orthogonal information model 11 C Correlations vs entanglement: a tolerance for deviations 14 1 Introduction The topic of this article is how to accurately model quantum correlations. In quantum theory, quan- tum systems are currently modelled by density matrices (ρ) and entanglement is recognized to be monogamous [2]. -
Quantum-Corrected Rotating Black Holes and Naked Singularities in (2 + 1) Dimensions
PHYSICAL REVIEW D 99, 104023 (2019) Quantum-corrected rotating black holes and naked singularities in (2 + 1) dimensions † ‡ Marc Casals,1,2,* Alessandro Fabbri,3, Cristián Martínez,4, and Jorge Zanelli4,§ 1Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, CEP 22290-180, Brazil 2School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland 3Departamento de Física Teórica and IFIC, Universidad de Valencia-CSIC, C. Dr. Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain 4Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECs), Arturo Prat 514, Valdivia 5110466, Chile (Received 15 February 2019; published 13 May 2019) We analytically investigate the perturbative effects of a quantum conformally coupled scalar field on rotating (2 þ 1)-dimensional black holes and naked singularities. In both cases we obtain the quantum- backreacted metric analytically. In the black hole case, we explore the quantum corrections on different regions of relevance for a rotating black hole geometry. We find that the quantum effects lead to a growth of both the event horizon and the ergosphere, as well as to a reduction of the angular velocity compared to their corresponding unperturbed values. Quantum corrections also give rise to the formation of a curvature singularity at the Cauchy horizon and show no evidence of the appearance of a superradiant instability. In the naked singularity case, quantum effects lead to the formation of a horizon that hides the conical defect, thus turning it into a black hole. The fact that these effects occur not only for static but also for spinning geometries makes a strong case for the role of quantum mechanics as a cosmic censor in Nature. -
Traversable Wormholes and Regenesis
Traversable Wormholes and Regenesis The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Gao, Ping. 2019. Traversable Wormholes and Regenesis. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42029626 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Traversable Wormholes and Regenesis A dissertation presented by Ping Gao to The Department of Physics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Physics Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts April 2019 c 2019 | Ping Gao All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Daniel Louis Jafferis Ping Gao Traversable Wormholes and Regenesis Abstract In this dissertation we study a novel solution of traversable wormholes in the context of AdS/CFT. This type of traversable wormhole is the first such solution that has been shown to be embeddable in a UV complete theory of gravity. We discuss its property from points of view of both semiclassical gravity and general chaotic system. On gravity side, after turning on an interaction that couples the two boundaries of an eternal BTZ black hole, in chapter 2 we find a quantum matter stress tensor with negative average null energy, whose gravitational backreaction renders the Einstein-Rosen bridge traversable. Such a traversable wormhole has an interesting interpretation in the context of ER=EPR, which we suggest might be related to quantum teleportation. -
Do Black Holes Create Polyamory?
Do black holes create polyamory? Andrzej Grudka1;4, Michael J. W. Hall2, Michał Horodecki3;4, Ryszard Horodecki3;4, Jonathan Oppenheim5, John A. Smolin6 1Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Pozna´n,Poland 2Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (Australian Research Council), Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia 3Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Gda´nsk,Gda´nsk,Poland 4National Quantum Information Center of Gda´nsk,81–824 Sopot, Poland 5University College of London, Department of Physics & Astronomy, London, WC1E 6BT and London Interdisciplinary Network for Quantum Science and 6IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Of course not, but if one believes that information cannot be destroyed in a theory of quantum gravity, then we run into apparent contradictions with quantum theory when we consider evaporating black holes. Namely that the no-cloning theorem or the principle of entanglement monogamy is violated. Here, we show that neither violation need hold, since, in arguing that black holes lead to cloning or non-monogamy, one needs to assume a tensor product structure between two points in space-time that could instead be viewed as causally connected. In the latter case, one is violating the semi-classical causal structure of space, which is a strictly weaker implication than cloning or non-monogamy. This is because both cloning and non-monogamy also lead to a breakdown of the semi-classical causal structure. We show that the lack of monogamy that can emerge in evaporating space times is one that is allowed in quantum mechanics, and is very naturally related to a lack of monogamy of correlations of outputs of measurements performed at subsequent instances of time of a single system. -
Finite-Cutoff JT Gravity and Self-Avoiding Loops Arxiv
Finite-cutoff JT gravity and self-avoiding loops Douglas Stanford and Zhenbin Yang Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 Abstract We study quantum JT gravity at finite cutoff using a mapping to the statistical mechanics of a self-avoiding loop in hyperbolic space, with positive pressure and fixed length. The semiclassical limit (small GN ) corresponds to large pressure, and we solve the problem in that limit in three overlapping regimes that apply for different loop sizes. For intermediate loop sizes, a semiclassical effective description is valid, but for very large or very small loops, fluctuations dominate. For large loops, this quantum regime is controlled by the Schwarzian theory. For small loops, the effective description fails altogether, but the problem is controlled using a conjecture from the theory of self-avoiding walks. arXiv:2004.08005v1 [hep-th] 17 Apr 2020 Contents 1 Introduction 2 2 Brief review of JT gravity 4 3 JT gravity and the self-avoiding loop measure 5 3.1 Flat space JT gravity . .5 3.2 Ordinary (hyperbolic) JT gravity . .8 3.3 The small β limit . .8 4 The flat space regime 9 5 The intermediate regime 11 5.1 Classical computations . 11 5.2 One-loop computations . 13 6 The Schwarzian regime 18 7 Discussion 19 7.1 A free particle analogy . 20 7.2 JT gravity as an effective description of JT gravity . 21 A Deriving the density of states from the RGJ formula 23 B Large argument asymptotics of the RGJ formula 24 C Monte Carlo estimation of c2 25 D CGHS model and flat space JT 26 E Large unpressurized loops 27 1 푝 2/3 -2 푝 푝 = ℓ β large pressure effective theory Schwarzian theory flat-space (RGJ) theory 4/3 β = ℓ -3/2 = ℓ4β3/2 푝 = β 푝 푝 = ℓ-2 0 0 0 β 0 β Figure 1: The three approximations used in this paper are valid well inside the respective shaded regions. -
Diagnosing Chaos Using Four-Point Functions in Two-Dimensional Conformal Field Theory
Diagnosing Chaos Using Four-Point Functions in Two-Dimensional Conformal Field Theory The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Roberts, Daniel A., and Douglas Stanford. "Diagnosing Chaos Using Four-Point Functions in Two-Dimensional Conformal Field Theory." Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 131603 (September 2015). © 2015 American Physical Society As Published http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.131603 Publisher American Physical Society Version Final published version Citable link http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98897 Terms of Use Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. week ending PRL 115, 131603 (2015) PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 25 SEPTEMBER 2015 Diagnosing Chaos Using Four-Point Functions in Two-Dimensional Conformal Field Theory Daniel A. Roberts* Center for Theoretical Physics and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA † Douglas Stanford School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA (Received 10 March 2015; revised manuscript received 14 May 2015; published 22 September 2015) We study chaotic dynamics in two-dimensional conformal field theory through out-of-time-order thermal correlators of the form hWðtÞVWðtÞVi. We reproduce holographic calculations similar to those of Shenker and Stanford, by studying the large c Virasoro identity conformal block. The contribution of this block to the above correlation function begins to decrease exponentially after a delay of ∼t − β=2π β2E E t β=2π c E ;E à ð Þ log w v, where à is the fast scrambling time ð Þ log and w v are the energy scales of the W;V operators. -
Advanced Lectures on General Relativity
Lecture notes prepared for the Solvay Doctoral School on Quantum Field Theory, Strings and Gravity. Lectures given in Brussels, October 2017. Advanced Lectures on General Relativity Lecturing & Proofreading: Geoffrey Compère Typesetting, layout & figures: Adrien Fiorucci Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (Belgium) Physique Théorique et Mathématique Université Libre de Bruxelles and International Solvay Institutes Campus Plaine C.P. 231, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium Please email any question or correction to: [email protected] Abstract — These lecture notes are intended for starting PhD students in theoretical physics who have a working knowledge of General Relativity. The 4 topics covered are (1) Surface charges as con- served quantities in theories of gravity; (2) Classical and holographic features of three-dimensional Einstein gravity; (3) Asymptotically flat spacetimes in 4 dimensions: BMS group and memory effects; (4) The Kerr black hole: properties at extremality and quasi-normal mode ringing. Each topic starts with historical foundations and points to a few modern research directions. Table of contents 1 Surface charges in Gravitation ................................... 7 1.1 Introduction : general covariance and conserved stress tensor..............7 1.2 Generalized Noether theorem................................. 10 1.2.1 Gauge transformations and trivial currents..................... 10 1.2.2 Lower degree conservation laws........................... 11 1.2.3 Surface charges in generally covariant theories................... 13 1.3 Covariant phase space formalism............................... 14 1.3.1 Field fibration and symplectic structure....................... 14 1.3.2 Noether’s second theorem : an important lemma................. 17 Einstein’s gravity.................................... 18 Einstein-Maxwell electrodynamics.......................... 18 1.3.3 Fundamental theorem of the covariant phase space formalism.......... 20 Cartan’s magic formula...............................