Search Results (30 total)

We examine Bousso’s covariant entropy bound conjecture in the context of radiation filled, spatially flat, Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models. The bound is violated near the big bang. However, the hope has been that quantum gravity effects would intervene and protect it. Loop quantum cosmology provides a near ideal setting for investigating this issue. For, on the one hand, quantum geometry effects resolve the singularity and, on the other hand, the wave function is sharply peaked at a quantum corrected but smooth geometry, which can supply the structure needed to test the bound. We find that the bound is respected. We suggest that the bound need not be an essential ingredient for a quantum gravity theory but may emerge from it under suitable circumstances.

We analyze Hawking evaporation of the Callan-Giddings-Harvey-Strominger black holes from a quantum geometry perspective and show that information is not lost, primarily because the quantum space-time is sufficiently larger than the classical. Using suitable approximations to extract physics from quantum space-times we establish that (i) the future null infinity of the quantum space-time is sufficiently long for the past vacuum to evolve to a pure state in the future, (ii) this state has a finite norm in the future Fock space, and (iii) all the information comes out at future infinity; there are no remnants.

A small simplification based on well-motivated approximations is shown to make loop quantum cosmology of the k=0 Friedman-Robertson-Walker model (with a massless scalar field) exactly soluble. Analytical methods are then used i) to show that the quantum bounce is generic; ii) to establish that the matter density has an absolute upper bound which, furthermore, equals the critical density that first emerged in numerical simulations and effective equations; iii) to bring out the precise sense in which the Wheeler-DeWitt theory approximates loop quantum cosmology and the sense in which this approximation fails; and iv) to show that discreteness underlying loop quantum cosmology is fundamental. Finally, the model is compared to analogous discussions in the literature and it is pointed out that some of their expectations do not survive a more careful examination. An effort has been made to make the underlying structure transparent also to those who are not familiar with details of loop quantum gravity.

The closed, k=1, FRW model coupled to a massless scalar field is investigated in the framework of loop quantum cosmology using analytical and numerical methods. As in the k=0 case, the scalar field can be again used as emergent time to construct the physical Hilbert space and introduce Dirac observables. The resulting framework is then used to address a major challenge of quantum cosmology: resolving the big-bang singularity while retaining agreement with general relativity at large scales. It is shown that the framework fulfills this task. In particular, for states which are semiclassical at some late time, the big bang is replaced by a quantum bounce and a recollapse occurs at the value of the scale factor predicted by classical general relativity. Thus, the “difficulties” pointed out by Green and Unruh in the k=1 case do not arise in a more systematic treatment. As in k=0 models, quantum dynamics is deterministic across the deep Planck regime. However, because it also retains the classical recollapse, in contrast to the k=0 case one is now led to a cyclic model. Finally, we clarify some issues raised by Laguna’s recent work addressed to computational physicists.

An improved Hamiltonian constraint operator is introduced in loop quantum cosmology. Quantum dynamics of the spatially flat, isotropic model with a massless scalar field is then studied in detail using analytical and numerical methods. The scalar field continues to serve as “emergent time”, the big bang is again replaced by a quantum bounce, and quantum evolution remains deterministic across the deep Planck regime. However, while with the Hamiltonian constraint used so far in loop quantum cosmology the quantum bounce can occur even at low matter densities, with the new Hamiltonian constraint it occurs only at a Planck-scale density. Thus, the new quantum dynamics retains the attractive features of current evolutions in loop quantum cosmology but, at the same time, cures their main weakness.

Analytical and numerical methods are developed to analyze the quantum nature of the big bang in the setting of loop quantum cosmology. They enable one to explore the effects of quantum geometry both on the gravitational and matter sectors and significantly extend the known results on the resolution of the big bang singularity. Specifically, the following results are established for the homogeneous isotropic model with a massless scalar field: (i) the scalar field is shown to serve as an internal clock, thereby providing a detailed realization of the “emergent time” idea; (ii) the physical Hilbert space, Dirac observables, and semiclassical states are constructed rigorously; (iii) the Hamiltonian constraint is solved numerically to show that the big bang is replaced by a big bounce. Thanks to the nonperturbative, background independent methods, unlike in other approaches the quantum evolution is deterministic across the deep Planck regime. Our constructions also provide a conceptual framework and technical tools which can be used in more general models. In this sense, they provide foundations for analyzing physical issues associated with the Planck regime of loop quantum cosmology as a whole.

Some long-standing issues concerning the quantum nature of the big bang are resolved in the context of homogeneous isotropic models with a scalar field. Specifically, the known results on the resolution of the big-bang singularity in loop quantum cosmology are significantly extended as follows: (i) the scalar field is shown to serve as an internal clock, thereby providing a detailed realization of the “emergent time” idea; (ii) the physical Hilbert space, Dirac observables, and semiclassical states are constructed rigorously; (iii) the Hamiltonian constraint is solved numerically to show that the big bang is replaced by a big bounce. Thanks to the nonperturbative, background independent methods, unlike in other approaches the quantum evolution is deterministic across the deep Planck regime.

The notion of semiclassical states is first sharpened by clarifying two issues that appear to have been overlooked in the literature. Systems with linear and quadratic constraints are then considered and the group averaging procedure is applied to kinematical coherent states to obtain physical semiclassical states. In the specific examples considered, the technique turns out to be surprisingly efficient, suggesting that it may well be possible to use kinematical structures to analyze the semiclassical behavior of physical states of an interesting class of constrained systems.

A detailed description of how black holes grow in full, nonlinear general relativity is presented. The starting point is the notion of dynamical horizons. Expressions of fluxes of energy and angular momentum carried by gravitational waves across these horizons are obtained. Fluxes are local and the energy flux is positive. A change in the horizon area is related to these fluxes. A notion of angular momentum and energy is associated with cross sections of the horizon and balance equations, analogous to those obtained by Bondi and Sachs at null infinity, are derived. These in turn lead to generalizations of the first and second laws of black hole mechanics. The relation between dynamical horizons and their asymptotic states—the isolated horizons—is discussed briefly. The framework has potential applications to numerical, mathematical, astrophysical and quantum general relativity.

Dynamical horizons are considered in full, nonlinear general relativity. Expressions of fluxes of energy and angular momentum carried by gravitational waves across these horizons are obtained. Fluxes are local, the energy flux is positive, and change in the horizon area is related to these fluxes. The flux formulas also give rise to balance laws analogous to the ones obtained by Bondi and Sachs at null infinity and provide generalizations of the first and second laws of black-hole mechanics.

Black hole mechanics was recently extended by replacing the more commonly used event horizons in stationary space-times with isolated horizons in more general space-times (which may admit radiation arbitrarily close to black holes). However, so far the detailed analysis has been restricted to nonrotating black holes (although it incorporated arbitrary distortion, as well as electromagnetic, Yang-Mills, and dilatonic charges). We now fill this gap by first introducing the notion of isolated horizon angular momentum and then extending the first law to the rotating case.

A framework was recently introduced to generalize black hole mechanics by replacing stationary event horizons with isolated horizons. That framework is significantly extended. The extension is nontrivial in that not only do the boundary conditions now allow the horizon to be distorted and rotating, but also the subsequent analysis is based on several new ingredients. Specifically, although the overall strategy is closely related to that in the previous work, the dynamical variables, the action principle and the Hamiltonian framework are all quite different. More importantly, in the nonrotating case, the first law is shown to arise as a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a consistent Hamiltonian evolution. Somewhat surprisingly, this consistency condition in turn leads to new predictions even for static black holes. To complement the previous work, the entire discussion is presented in terms of tetrads and associated (real) Lorentz connections.

The notion of isolated horizons is extended to allow for distortion and rotation. Space-times containing a black hole, itself in equilibrium but possibly surrounded by radiation, satisfy these conditions. The framework has three types of applications: (i) it provides new tools to extract physics from strong field geometry; (ii) it leads to a generalization of the zeroth and first laws of black hole mechanics and sheds new light on the “origin” of the first law; and (iii) it serves as a point of departure for black hole entropy calculations in nonperturbative quantum gravity.

A “black hole sector” of nonperturbative canonical quantum gravity is introduced. The quantum black hole degrees of freedom are shown to be described by a Chern-Simons field theory on the horizon. It is shown that the entropy of a large nonrotating black hole is proportional to its horizon area. The constant of proportionality depends upon the Immirzi parameter, which fixes the spectrum of the area operator in loop quantum gravity; an appropriate choice of this parameter gives the Bekenstein-Hawking formula S  =  A/4ℓ_P². With the same choice of the Immirzi parameter, this result also holds for black holes carrying electric or dilatonic charge, which are not necessarily near extremal.

It is shown that there is a precise sense in which the Heisenberg uncertainty between fluxes of electric and magnetic fields through finite surfaces is given by (one-half ħ times) the Gauss linking number of the loops that bound these surfaces. To regularize the relevant operators, one is naturally led to assign a framing to each loop. The uncertainty between the fluxes of electric and magnetic fields through a single surface is then given by the self-linking number of the framed loop which bounds the surface.

The asymptotic behavior of Einstein-Rosen waves at null infinity in four dimensions is investigated in all directions by exploiting the relation between the four-dimensional space-time and the three-dimensional symmetry reduction thereof. Somewhat surprisingly, the behavior in a generic direction is better than that in directions orthogonal to the symmetry axis. The geometric origin of this difference can be understood most clearly from the three-dimensional perspective.

Gravitational waves with a space-translation Killing field are considered. Because of the symmetry, the four-dimensional Einstein vacuum equations are equivalent to the three-dimensional Einstein equations with certain matter sources. This interplay between four- and three-dimensional general relativity can be exploited effectively to analyze issues pertaining to four dimensions in terms of the three-dimensional structures. An example is provided by the asymptotic structure at null infinity: While these space-times fail to be asymptotically flat in four dimensions, they can admit a regular completion at null infinity in three dimensions. This completion is used to analyze the asymptotic symmetries, introduce the analogue of the four-dimensional Bondi energy momentum, and write down a flux formula. The analysis is also of interest from a purely three-dimensional perspective because it pertains to a diffeomorphism-invariant three-dimensional field theory with local degrees of freedom, i.e., to a midisuperspace. Furthermore, because of certain peculiarities of three dimensions, the description of null infinity has a number of features that are quite surprising because they do not arise in the Bondi-Penrose description in four dimensions.

Three-dimensional gravity coupled to Maxwell (or Klein-Gordon) fields is exactly soluble under the assumption of axisymmetry. The solution is used to probe several quantum gravity issues. In particular, it is found that if there is an electromagnetic wave of Planckian frequency even with such low amplitude that the curvature of the classical solution is small, the uncertainty in the quantum metric can be very large. More generally, the quantum fluctuations in the geometry are large unless the number and frequency of photons satisfy the inequality N(ħGω)²≪1. Results hold also for a sector of the four-dimensional theory (consisting of Einstein-Rosen gravitational waves).

Using a key observation due to Thiemann, a generalized Wick transform is introduced to map the constraint functionals of Riemannian general relativity to those of the Lorentzian theory, including matter sources. This opens up a new avenue within "connection dynamics" where one can work, throughout, only with real variables. The resulting quantum theory would then be free of complicated reality conditions. The ramifications of this development to the canonical quantization program are discussed.

A Hamiltonian framework for (2+1)-dimensional gravity coupled with matter (satisfying positive energy conditions) is considered in the asymptotically flat context. It is shown that the total energy of the system is non-negative, vanishing if and only if space-time is (globally) Minkowskian. Furthermore, contrary to one’s experience with usual field theories, the Hamiltonian is bounded from above. This is a genuinely nonperturbative result. In the presence of a spacelike Killing field, (3+1)-dimensional vacuum general relativity is equivalent to (2+1)-dimensional general relativity coupled to certain matter fields. Therefore, our expression provides, in particular, a formula for energy per-unit length (along the symmetry direction) of gravitational waves with a spacelike symmetry in 3+1 dimensions. A special case is that of cylindrical waves which have two hypersurface orthogonal, spacelike Killing fields. In this case, our expression is related to the ‘‘c energy’’ in a nonpolynomial fashion. While in the weak field limit the two agree, in the strong field regime they differ significantly. By construction, our expression yields the generator of the time translation in the full theory, and therefore represents the physical energy in the gravitational field.

Results that illuminate the physical interpretation of states of nonperturbative quantum gravity are obtained using the recently introduced loop variables. It is shown that (i) while local operators such as the metric at a point may not be well defined, there do exist nonlocal operators, such as the area of a given two-surface, which can be regulated diffeomorphism invariantly and which are finite without renormalization; (ii) there exist quantum states which approximate a given metric at large scales, but such states exhibit a discrete structure at the Planck scale.

The recently proposed loop representation is used to quantize linearized general relativity. The Fock space of graviton states and its associated algebra of observables are represented in terms of functionals of loops. The "reality conditions" are realized by an inner product that is chiral asymmetric, resulting in a chiral-asymmetric ordering for the Hamiltonian, and, in an asymmetric description of the left- and right-handed gravitons. The formalism depends on an arbitrary "averaging" function that controls certain divergences, but does not appear in the final physical quantities. In spite of these somewhat unusual features, the loop quantization presented here is completely equivalent to the standard quantization of linearized gravity.

The Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of general relativity in terms of soldering forms and self-dual connections are extended to include matter sources and the cosmological constant. For matter sources we consider minimally coupled Klein-Gordon fields, complex- and Grassmann-valued Dirac fields, and Yang-Mills fields. Somewhat surprisingly, in spite of the derivative coupling in the spin-half fields, the use of only the self-dual part of the connection as a basic variable does not lead to spurious equations or inconsistencies. Furthermore, as in the source-free case considered earlier, all equations of the theory are polynomial in terms of these variables. Therefore, the framework has several potential applications especially to the nonperturbative canonical quantization program.

The structure of the Poisson-brackets algebra of constraints of general relativity is reexamined using the recently introduced spinorial variables. Three different combinations of constraints are analyzed and their relative merits are discussed. In each case we construct the corresponding expression of the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin charge. These expressions provide a point of departure for a nonperturbative quantization scheme for general relativity.

The phase space of general relativity is first extended in a standard manner to incorporate spinors. New coordinates are then introduced on this enlarged phase space to simplify the structure of constraint equations. Now, the basic variables, satisfying the canonical Poisson-brackets relations, are the (density-valued) soldering forms σ̃ ^a _A ^B and certain spin-connection one-forms A_aA ^B. Constraints of Einstein’s theory simply state that σ̃ ^a satisfies the Gauss law constraint with respect to A_a and that the curvature tensor F_abA ^B and A_a satisfies certain purely algebraic conditions (involving σ̃ ^a). In particular, the constraints are at worst quadratic in the new variables σ̃ ^a and A_a. This is in striking contrast with the situation with traditional variables, where constraints contain nonpolynomial functions of the three-metric. Simplification occurs because A_a has information about both the three-metric and its conjugate momentum. In the four-dimensional space-time picture, A_a turns out to be a potential for the self-dual part of Weyl curvature. An important feature of the new form of constraints is that it provides a natural embedding of the constraint surface of the Einstein phase space into that of Yang-Mills phase space. This embedding provides new tools to analyze a number of issues in both classical and quantum gravity. Some illustrative applications are discussed. Finally, the (Poisson-bracket) algebra of new constraints is computed. The framework sets the stage for another approach to canonical quantum gravity, discussed in forthcoming papers also by Jacobson, Lee, Renteln, and Smolin.