arXiv subjects

Ana Alonso-Serrano

Publications and source records attributed to Ana Alonso-Serrano.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

The time traveler's guide to the quantization of zero modes

We study the relationship between the quantization of a massless scalar field on the two-dimensional Einstein cylinder and in a spacetime with a time machine. We find that the latter picks out a unique prescription for the state of the zero mode in the Einstein cylinder. We show how this choice arises from the computation of the vacuum Wightman function and the vacuum renormalized stress-energy tensor in the time-machine geometry. Finally, we relate the previously proposed regularization of the zero mode state as a squeezed state with the time-machine warp parameter, thus demonstrating that the quantization in the latter regularizes the quantization in an Einstein cylinder.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Thermodynamics of spacetime from minimal area

Motivated by exploring the interface between thermodynamics of spacetime and quantum gravity effects, we develop a heuristic derivation of Hawking temperature and Bekenstein entropy from the existence of a minimal resolvable area. Moreover, we find leading order quantum gravity corrections to them that are in qualitative agreement with results obtained by other methods, both heuristic and rigorous. In this way, we recover, as a particular case, the corrections heuristically obtained from the existence of minimal length. We also show that the size of minimal area is constrained from above by well understood results of semiclassical black hole physics, specifically by the entropy content of Hawking radiation. The minimal area derivation we introduce is also applied to finding the Unruh temperature associated with causal diamonds and to establish a new relation between this temperature and the entropy of the causal diamond's horizon.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Quantum Kasner transition in a locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi II universe

The Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz (BKL) conjecture predicts a chaotic alternation of Kasner epochs in the evolution of generic classical spacetimes towards a spacelike singularity. As a first step towards understanding the full quantum BKL scenario, we analyze a vacuum Bianchi II model with local rotational symmetry, which presents just one Kasner transition. During the Kasner epochs, the quantum state is coherent and it is thus characterized by constant values of the different quantum fluctuations, correlations and higher-order moments. By computing the constants of motion of the system we provide, for any peaked semiclassical state, the explicit analytical transition rules that relate the parametrization of the asymptotic coherent state before and after the transition. In particular, we obtain the modification of the transition rules for the classical variables due to quantum back-reaction effects. This analysis is performed by considering a high-order truncation in moments (the full computations are performed up to fifth-order, which corresponds to neglecting terms of an order $\hbar^3$), providing a solid estimate about the quantum modifications to the classical model. Finally, in order to understand the dynamics of the state during the transition, we perform some numerical simulations for an initial Gaussian state, that show that the initial and final equilibrium values of the quantum variables are connected by strong and rapid oscillations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Nonextensive Black Hole Entropy and Quantum Gravity Effects at the Last Stages of Evaporation

We analyze the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) impact onto the nonextensive black hole thermodynamics by using Rényi entropy. We show that when introducing GUP effects, both Rényi entropy and temperature associated to black holes have finite values at the end of the evaporation process. We also study the sparsity of the radiation, associated with Rényi temperature, and compare it with the sparsity of Hawking radiation. Finally, we investigate GUP modifications to the sparsity of the radiation when GUP effects are introduced into Rényi temperature.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Quantum phenomenological gravitational dynamics: A general view from thermodynamics of spacetime

In this work we derive general quantum phenomenological equations of gravitational dynamics and analyse its features. The derivation uses the formalism developed in thermodynamics of spacetime and introduces low energy quantum gravity modifications to it. Quantum gravity effects are considered via modification of Bekenstein entropy by an extra logarithmic term in the area. This modification is predicted by several approaches to quantum gravity, including loop quantum gravity, string theory, AdS/CFT correspondence and generalised uncertainty principle phenomenology, giving our result a general character. The derived equations generalise classical equations of motion of unimodular gravity, instead of the ones of general relativity, and they contain at most second derivatives of the metric. We provide two independent derivations of the equations based on thermodynamics of local causal diamonds. First one uses Jacobson's maximal vacuum entanglement hypothesis, the second one Clausius entropy flux. Furthermore, we consider questions of diffeomorphism and local Lorentz invariance of the resulting dynamics and discuss its application to a simple cosmological model, finding a resolution of the classical singularity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

New perspective on thermodynamics of spacetime: The emergence of unimodular gravity and the equivalence of entropies

We present a novel derivation of Einstein equations from the balance between Clausius entropy crossing the boundary of a local causal diamond and entanglement entropy associated with its horizon. Comparing this derivation with the entanglement equilibrium approach developed by Jacobson, we are able to argue for the equivalence of matter entanglement and Clausius entropy in the semiclassical regime. We also provide a direct comparison of both entropies for conformal matter, showing their equivalence without appealing to gravitational dynamics. Furthermore, we determine that gravitational dynamics implied by thermodynamics of spacetime, in fact, corresponds to unimodular gravity rather than general relativity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Quantum approach to a Bianchi I singularity

The approach of a quantum state to a cosmological singularity is studied through the evolution of its moments in a simple version of a Bianchi I model. In spite of the simplicity, the model exhibits several instructive and unexpected features of the moments. They are investigated here both analytically and numerically in an approximation in which anisotropy is assumed to vary slowly, while numerical methods are also used to analyze the case of a rapidly evolving anisotropy. Physical conclusions are drawn mainly regarding two questions. First, quantum uncertainty of anisotropies does not necessarily eliminate the existence of isotropic solutions, with potential implications for the interpretation of minisuperspace truncations as well as structure-formation scenarios in the early universe. Secondly, back-reaction of moments on basic expectation values is found to delay the approach to the classical singularity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Conceptual Challenges on the Road to the Multiverse

The current debate about a possible change of paradigm from a single universe to a multiverse scenario could have deep implications on our view of cosmology and of science in general. These implications therefore deserve to be analyzed from a fundamental conceptual level. We briefly review the different multiverse ideas, both historically and within contemporary physics. We then discuss several positions within philosophy of science with regard to scientific progress, and apply these to the multiverse debate. Finally, we construct some key concepts for a physical multiverse scenario and discuss the challenges this scenario has to deal with in order to provide a solid, testable theory.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2018

$f(R)$ quantum cosmology: avoiding the Big Rip

Extended theories of gravity have gathered a lot of attention over the last years, for they not only provide an excellent framework to describe the inflationary era but also yields an alternative to the elusive and mysterious dark energy. Among the different extended theories of gravity, on this work we focus on metric $f(R)$ theories. In addition, it is well known that if the late-time acceleration of the universe is stronger than the one induced by a cosmological constant then some future cosmic singularities might arise, being the Big Rip the most virulent one. Following this reasoning, on this work, we analyse the Big Rip singularity in the framework of $f(R)$ quantum geometrodynamics. Invoking the DeWitt criterium, i. e. that the wave function vanishes at the classical singularity, we proof that a class of solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation fulfilling this condition can be found. Therefore, this result hints towards the avoidance of the Big Rip in metric $f(R)$ theories of gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Minimal length and the flow of entropy from black holes

The existence of a minimal length, predicted by different theories of quantum gravity, can be phenomenologically described in terms of a generalized uncertainty principle. We consider the impact of this quantum gravity motivated effect onto the information budget of a black hole and the sparsity of Hawking radiation during the black hole evaporation process. We show that the information is not transmitted at the same rate during the final stages of the evaporation and that the Hawking radiation is not sparse anymore when the black hole approaches the Planck mass.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Generalized uncertainty principle impact onto the black holes information flux and the sparsity of Hawking radiation

We investigate the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) corrections to the entropy content and the information flux of black holes, as well as the corrections to the sparsity of the Hawking radiation at the late stages of evaporation. We find that due to these quantum gravity motivated corrections, the entropy flow per particle reduces its value on the approach to the Planck scale due to a better accuracy in counting the number of microstates. We also show that the radiation flow is no longer sparse when the mass of a black hole approaches Planck mass which is not the case for non-GUP calculations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Entropy/information flux in Hawking radiation

Blackbody radiation contains (on average) an entropy of 3.9\pm2.5 bits per photon. If the emission process is unitary, then this entropy is exactly compensated by "hidden information" in the correlations. We extend this argument to the Hawking radiation from GR black holes, demonstrating that the assumption of unitarity leads to a perfectly reasonable entropy/information budget. The key technical aspect of our calculation is a variant of the "average subsystem" approach developed by Page, which we extend beyond bipartite pure systems, to a tripartite pure system that considers the influence of the environment.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Multi-partite analysis of average-subsystem entropies

So-called average subsystem entropies are defined by first taking partial traces over some pure state to define density matrices, then calculating the subsystem entropies, and finally averaging over the pure states to define the average subsystem entropies. These quantities are standard tools in quantum information theory, most typically applied in bipartite systems. We shall first present some extensions to the usual bipartite analysis, (including a calculation of the average tangle, and a bound on the average concurrence), follow this with some useful results for tripartite systems, and finally extend the discussion to arbitrary multi-partite systems. A particularly nice feature of tri-partite and multi-partite analyses is that this framework allows one to introduce an "environment" for small subsystems to couple to.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Coarse graining Shannon and von Neumann entropies

The nature of coarse graining is intuitively "obvious", but it is rather difficult to find explicit and calculable models of the coarse graining process (and the resulting entropy flow) discussed in the literature. What we would like to have at hand is some explicit and calculable process that takes an arbitrary system, with specified initial entropy S, and monotonically and controllably drives the entropy to its maximum value. This does not have to be a physical process, in fact for some purposes it is better to deal with a gedanken-process, since then it is more obvious how the "hidden information" is hiding in the fine-grain correlations that one is simply agreeing not to look at. We shall present several simple mathematically well-defined and easy to work with conceptual models for coarse graining. We shall consider both the classical Shannon and quantum von Neumann entropies, including models based on quantum decoherence, and analyze the entropy flow in some detail. When coarse-graining the quantum von Neumann entropy, we find it extremely useful to introduce an adaptation of Hawking's super-scattering matrix. These explicit models that we shall construct allow us to quantify and keep clear track of the entropy that appears when coarse-graining the system, and the information that can be hidden in unobserved correlations. (While not the focus of the current article, in the longer run these considerations are of interest when addressing black hole information puzzle.)

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

On burning a lump of coal

Burning something, (e.g. the proverbial lump of coal, or an encyclopaedia for that matter), in a blackbody furnace leads to an approximately Planck emission spectrum with an average entropy/information transfer of approximately $3.9 \pm 2.5$ bits per emitted photon. This quantitative and qualitative result depends only on the underlying unitarity of the quantum physics of burning, combined with the statistical mechanics of blackbody radiation. The fact that the utterly standard and unitarity preserving process of burning something (in fact, burning anything) nevertheless *has* an associated entropy/information budget, and the quantitative *size* of that entropy/information budget, is a severely under-appreciated feature of standard quantum statistical physics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Correlations across horizons in quantum cosmology

Different spacetime regions separated by horizons are not related to each other. We know that this statement holds for classical spacetimes. In this paper we carry out a canonical quantization of a Kantowski-Sachs minisuperspace model whose classical solutions exhibit both an event horizon and a cosmological horizon in order to check whether the above statement also holds from the quantum gravitational point of view. Our analysis shows that in fact this is not the case: Quantum gravitational states with support in spacetime configurations that exclusively describe either the region between horizons or outside them are not consistent in the sense that there exist unitary operators describing a natural notion of evolution that connect them. In other words, unitarity is only preserved in this quantization when dealing with the whole spacetime and not in each region separately.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

Observing other universe through ringholes and Klein-bottle holes

It is argued that whereas the Shatskiy single rings produced by the gravitational inner field of a spherically symmetric wormhole and the concentric double Einstein rings generated by a toroidal ringhole could not be used without some uncertainty to identify the presence of such tunnelings in the universe or the existence of a parallel universe, the image which the inner gravitational field of a non orientable Klein-bottle hole tunneling would leave by lensing a single luminous source is that of a truncated double spiral, which is a signature that cannot be attributed to any other single or composite astronomical object in whichever universe it may be placed. In this report we argue some more reasons to predict that such a signature would imply the discovery of one such non orientable tunneling in our or other universe. After all, a nonorientable Klein-bottle hole is also a perfectly valid solution to the Einstein equations and the stuff which would make it feasible is becoming more and more familiar in cosmology.

astro-ph.CO↗