arXiv subjects

Flavio Mercati

Publications and source records attributed to Flavio Mercati.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

The Momentum Spaces of $κ$-Minkowski noncommutative spacetime

A useful concept in the development of physical models on the $κ$-Minkowski noncommutative spacetime is that of a curved momentum space. This structure is not unique: several inequivalent momentum space geometries have been identified. Some are associated to a different assumption regarding the signature of spacetime (i.e. Lorentzian vs. Euclidean), but there are inequivalent momentum spaces that can be associated to the same signature and even the same group of symmetries. Moreover, in the literature there are two approaches to the definition of these momentum spaces, one based on the right- (or left-)invariant metrics on the Lie group generated by the $κ$-Minkowski algebra. The other is based on the construction of $5$-dimensional matrix representation of the $κ$-Minkowski coordinate algebra. Neither approach leads to a unique construction. Here, we find the relation between these two approaches and introduce a unified approach, capable of describing all momentum spaces, and identify the corresponding quantum group of spacetime symmetries. We reproduce known results and get a few new ones. In particular, we describe the three momentum spaces associated to the $κ$-Poincaré group, which are half of a de Sitter, anti-de Sitter or Minkowski space, and we identify what distinguishes them. Moreover, we find a new momentum space with the geometry of a light cone, associated to a $κ$-deformation of the Carroll group.

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arXiv2019

Localizability in $κ$-Minkowski Spacetime

Using the methods of ordinary quantum mechanics we study $κ$-Minkowski space as a quantum space described by noncommuting self-adjoint operators, following and enlarging arXiv:1811.08409. We see how the role of Fourier transforms is played in this case by Mellin transforms. We briefly discuss the role of transformations and observers.

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arXiv2019

Through the Big Bang in inflationary cosmology

Singularities in General Relativity are regions where the description of spacetime in terms of a pseudo-Riemannian geometry breaks down. The theory seems unable to predict the evolution of the physical degrees of freedom around and beyond such regions. In a recent paper, the author and collaborators challenged this view by providing an example of a singularity at which Einstein's equations can be rewritten in a form that satisfies an existence and uniqueness theorem, thereby predicting that each solution can be continued uniquely through the singularity. This result was obtained under the assumption of homogeneity (but not isotropy), and requires the presence of a massless free scalar field. This paper extends the result to N scalar fields with a potential, the only requirement being that it does not grow too fast. In particular, the result is compatible with inflationary potentials, e.g. Starobinsky's. This brings us one step closer to the goal of extending the original result to realistic cosmologies.

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arXiv2018

Localization and Reference Frames in $κ$-Minkowski Spacetime

We study the limits to the localizability of events and reference frames in the $κ$-Minkowski quantum spacetime. Our main tool will be a representation of the $κ$-Minkowski commutation relations between coordinates, and the operator and measurement theory borrowed from ordinary quantum mechanics. Spacetime coordinates are described by operators on a Hilbert space, and a complete set of commuting observables cannot contain the radial coordinate and time at the same time. The transformation between the complete sets turns out to be the Mellin transform, which allows us to discuss the localizability properties of states both in space and time. We then discuss the transformation rules between inertial observers, which are described by the quantum $κ$-Poincaré group. These too are subject to limitations in the localizability of states, which impose further restrictions on the ability of an observer to localize events defined in a different observer's reference frame.

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arXiv2018

Light Cone in a Quantum Spacetime

Noncommutative spacetimes are a proposed effective description of the low-energy regime of Quantum Gravity. Defining the microcausality relations of a scalar quantum field theory on the $κ$-Minkowski noncommutative spacetime allows us to define for the first time a notion of light-cone in a quantum spacetime. This allows us to reach two conclusions. First, the majority of the literature on $κ$-Minkowski suggests that this spacetime allows superluminal propagation of particles. The structure of the light-cone we introduced allows to rule this out, thereby excluding the possibility of constraining the relevant models with observations of in-vacuo dispersion of Gamma Ray Burst photons. Second, we are able to reject a claim made in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 211601 (2010)], according to which the light-cone of the $κ$-Minkowski spacetime has a "blurry" region of Planck-length thickness, independently of the distance of the two events considered. Such an effect would be hopeless to measure. Our analysis reveals that the thickness of the region where the notion of timelike and spacelike separations blurs grows like the square root of the distance. This magnifies the effect, e.g. in the case of cosmological distances, by 30 orders of magnitude.

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arXiv2018

Physical Constraints on Quantum Deformations of Spacetime Symmetries

In this work we study the deformations into Lie bialgebras of the three relativistic Lie algebras: de Sitter, Anti-de Sitter and Poincaré, which describe the symmetries of the three maximally symmetric spacetimes. These algebras represent the centrepiece of the kinematics of special relativity (and its analogue in (Anti-)de Sitter spacetime), and provide the simplest framework to build physical models in which inertial observers are equivalent. Such a property can be expected to be preserved by Quantum Gravity, a theory which should build a length/energy scale into the microscopic structure of spacetime. Quantum groups, and their infinitesimal version `Lie bialgebras', allow to encode such a scale into a noncommutativity of the algebra of functions over the group (and over spacetime, when the group acts on a homogeneous space). In 2+1 dimensions we have evidence that the vacuum state of Quantum Gravity is one such `noncommutative spacetime' whose symmetries are described by a Lie bialgebra. It is then of great interest to study the possible Lie bialgebra deformations of the relativistic Lie algebras. In this paper, we develop a classification of such deformations in 2, 3 and 4 spacetime dimensions, based on physical requirements based on dimensional analysis, on various degrees of `manifest isotropy' (which implies that certain symmetries, i.e. Lorentz transformations or rotations, are `more classical'), and on discrete symmetries like P and T. On top of a series of new results in 3 and 4 dimensions, we find a no-go theorem for the Lie bialgebras in 4 dimensions, which singles out the well-known `$κ$-deformation' as the only one that depends on the first power of the Planck length, or, alternatively, that possesses `manifest' spatial isotropy.

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arXiv2018

Extended noncommutative Minkowski spacetimes and hybrid gauge symmetries

We study the Lie bialgebra structures that can be built on the one-dimensional central extension of the Poincaré and (A)dS algebras in (1+1) dimensions. These central extensions admit more than one interpretation, but the simplest one is that they describe the symmetries of (the noncommutative deformation of) an Abelian gauge theory, $U(1)$ or $SO(2)$ on the (1+1) dimensional Minkowski or (A)dS spacetime. We show that this highlights the possibility that the algebra of functions on the gauge bundle becomes noncommutative. This is a new way in which the Coleman-Mandula theorem could be circumvented by noncommutative structures, and it is related to a mixing of spacetime and gauge symmetry generators when they act on tensor-product states. We obtain all Lie bialgebra structures on centrally-extended Poincaré and (A)dS which are coisotropic w.r.t. the Lorentz algebra, and therefore all of them admit the construction of a noncommutative principal gauge bundle on a quantum homogeneous Minkowski spacetime. It is shown that several different types of hybrid noncommutativity between the spacetime and gauge coordinates are allowed by introducing quantum extended Poincaré symmetries. In one of these cases, an alternative interpretation of the central extension leads to a new description of the well-known canonical noncommutative spacetime as the quantum homogeneous space of a quantum Poincaré algebra of symmetries.

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arXiv2018

Pauli-Jordan Function and Scalar Field Quantization in $κ$-Minkowski Noncommutative Spacetime

We study a complex free scalar field theory on a noncommutative background spacetime called $κ$-Minkowski. In particular we address the problem of second quantization. We obtain the algebra of creation and annihilation operators in an explicitly covariant way. Our procedure does not use canonical/Hamiltonian formulations, which turn out to be ill-defined in our context. Instead we work in a spacetime covariant way by introducing a noncommutative Pauli-Jordan function. This function is obtained as a generalization of the ordinary, commutative, one by taking into account the constraints imposed by the symmetries of our noncommutative spacetime. The Pauli-Jordan function is later employed to study the structure of the light cone in $κ$-Minkowski spacetime, and to draw conclusions on the superluminal propagation of signals.

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arXiv2017

Vector-like deformations of relativistic quantum phase-space and relativistic kinematics

We study a family of noncommutative spacetimes constructed by one four-vector. The large set of coordinate commutation relations described in this way includes many cases that are widely studied in the literature. The Hopf-algebra symmetries of these noncommutative spacetimes, as well as the structures of star product and twist, are introduced and considered at first order in the deformation, described by four parameters. We also study the deformations to relativistic kinematics implied by this framework, and calculate the most general expression for the momentum dependence of the Lorentz transformations on momenta, which is an effect that is required by consistency. At the end of the paper we analyse the phenomenological consequences of this large family of vector-like deformations on particles propagation in spacetime. This leads to a set of characteristic phenomenological effects.

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arXiv2017

Through the Big Bang

All measurements are comparisons. The only physically accessible degrees of freedom (DOFs) are dimensionless ratios. The objective description of the universe as a whole thus predicts only how these ratios change collectively as one of them is changed. Here we develop a description for classical Bianchi IX cosmology implementing these relational principles. The objective evolution decouples from the volume and its expansion degree of freedom. We use the relational description to investigate both vacuum dominated and quiescent Bianchi IX cosmologies. In the vacuum dominated case the relational dynamical system predicts an infinite amount of change of the relational DOFs, in accordance with the well known chaotic behaviour of Bianchi IX. In the quiescent case the relational dynamical system evolves uniquely though the point where the decoupled scale DOFs predict the big bang/crunch. This is a non-trivial prediction of the relational description; the big bang/crunch is not the end of physics - it is instead a regular point of the relational evolution. Describing our solutions as spacetimes that satisfy Einstein's equations, we find that the relational dynamical system predicts two singular solutions of GR that are connected at the hypersurface of the singularity such that relational DOFs are continuous and the orientation of the spatial frame is inverted.

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arXiv2017

A Shape Dynamics Tutorial

Shape Dynamics (SD) is a new theory of gravity that is based on fewer and more fundamental first principles than General Relativity (GR). The most important feature of SD is the replacement of GR's relativity of simultaneity with a more tractable gauge symmetry, namely invariance under spatial conformal transformations. This Tutorial contains both a quick introduction for readers curious about SD and a detailed walk-through of the historical and conceptual motivations for the theory, its logical development from first principles and an in-depth description of its present status. The Tutorial is sufficiently self-contained for an undergrad student with some basic background in GR and Lagrangian/Hamiltonian mechanics. It is intended both as a reference text for students approaching the subject and as a review for researchers interested in the theory.

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arXiv2017

Thin shells of dust in a compact universe

I present the first analytical study of gravitational collapse in a compact CMC foliation with $S^3$ spatial topology. The solutions I find, in this context, will be both solutions of Shape Dynamics and General Relativity. The aim is to describe a system undergoing gravitational collapse in Shape Dynamics, so a well-justified and useful simplification is to assume spherical symmetry. This kills all the local gravitational degrees of freedom, but some nontrivial degrees of freedom are recovered by introducing matter. The simplest form of matter is infinitely thin spherical shells of dust, of which I need at least two in order to have a nontrivial dynamics. With a single shell the system is dynamically trivial, but it nevertheless admits a solution which represents a `frozen' shell at equilibrium in a globally de Sitter universe. Such a solution is, to my knowledge, new. I am able to solve analytically also the case with two shells, which has a nontrivial dynamics. When the rest mass of one shell is much smaller than the other, the system is suitable to model a compact universe in which one subsystem (the `light' shell) undergoes gravitational collapse while the rest of the matter (the `heavy' shell) plays the role of spectator. It turns out that, if the cosmological constant is zero or positive but small, and the rest mass of the two shells are sufficiently different, when the `light' shells collapses the ADM equations become ill-defined and cease to admit a solution. The shape-dynamical description, however, seems still well defined and can be continued past this point, possibly signalling a departure of Shape Dynamics from exact equivalence with General Relativity.

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arXiv2017

Noncommutative Spaces and Poincaré Symmetry

We present a framework which unifies a large class of non-commutative spacetimes that can be described in terms of a deformed Heisenberg algebra. The commutation relations between spacetime coordinates are up to linear order in the coordinates, with structure constants depending on the momenta plus terms depending only on the momenta. The possible implementations of the action of Lorentz transformations on these deformed phase spaces are considered, together with the consistency requirements they introduce. It is found that Lorentz transformations in general act nontrivially on tensor products of momenta. In particular the Lorentz group element which acts on the left and on the right of a composition of two momenta is different, and depends on the momenta involved in the process. We conclude with two representative examples, which illustrate the mentioned effect.

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arXiv2016

Gravitational collapse of thin shells of dust in asymptotically flat Shape Dynamics

In a recent paper, one of us studied spherically symmetric, asymptotically flat solutions of Shape Dynamics, finding that the spatial metric has characteristics of a wormhole - two asymptotically flat ends and a minimal-area sphere, or `throat', in between. In this paper we investigate whether that solution can emerge as a result of gravitational collapse of matter. With this goal, we study the simplest kind of spherically-symmetric matter: an infinitely-thin shell of dust. Our system can be understood as a model of a star accreting a thin layer of matter. We solve the dynamics of the shell exactly and find that, indeed, as it collapses, the shell leaves in its wake the wormhole metric. In the maximal-slicing time we use for asymptotically flat solutions, the shell only approaches the throat asymptotically and does not cross it in a finite amount of time (as measured by a clock `at infinity'). This leaves open the possibility that a more realistic cosmological solution of Shape Dynamics might see this crossing happening in a finite amount of time (as measured by the change of relational/shape degrees of freedom).

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arXiv2016

On the fate of Birkhoff's theorem in Shape Dynamics

Spherically symmetric, asymptotically flat solutions of Shape Dynamics were previously studied assuming standard falloff conditions for the metric and the momenta. These ensure that the spacetime is asymptotically Minkowski, and that the falloff conditions are Poincaré-invariant. These requirements however are not legitimate in Shape Dynamics, which does not make assumptions on the structure or regularity of spacetime. Analyzing the same problem in full generality, I find that the system is underdetermined, as there is one function of time that is not fixed by any condition and appears to have physical relevance. This quantity can be fixed only by studying more realistic models coupled with matter, and it turns out to be related to the dilatational momentum of the matter surrounding the region under study.

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arXiv2016

Self-gravitating fluid solutions of Shape Dynamics

Shape Dynamics is a 3D conformally invariant theory of gravity which possesses a large set of solutions in common with General Relativity. When looked closely, these solutions are found to behave in surprising ways, so in order to probe the fitness of Shape Dynamics as a viable alternative to General Relativity one must find and understand increasingly more complex, less symmetrical exact solutions, on which to base perturbative studies and numerical analyses in order to compare them with data. Spherically symmetric exact solutions have been studied, but only in a static vacuum setup. In this work we construct a class of time-dependent exact solutions of Shape Dynamics from first principles, representing a central inhomogeneity in an evolving cosmological environment. By assuming only a perfect fluid source in a spherically symmetric geometry we show that this fully dynamic non-vacuum solution satisfies in all generality the Hamiltonian structure of Shape Dynamics. The simplest choice of solutions is shown to be a member of the McVittie family.

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arXiv2016

Janus Points and Arrows of Time

We clarify and strengthen our demonstration that arrows of time necessarily arise in unconfined systems. Contrary to a recent claim, this does not require an improbable selection principle.

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arXiv2015

Entropy and the Typicality of Universes

The universal validity of the second law of thermodynamics is widely attributed to a finely tuned initial condition of the universe. This creates a problem: why is the universe atypical? We suggest that the problem is an artefact created by inappropriate transfer of the traditional concept of entropy to the whole universe. Use of what we call the relational $N$-body problem as a model indicates the need to employ two distinct entropy-type concepts to describe the universe. One, which we call entaxy, is novel. It is scale-invariant and decreases as the observable universe evolves. The other is the algebraic sum of the dimensionful entropies of branch systems (isolated subsystems of the universe). This conventional additive entropy increases. In our model, the decrease of entaxy is fundamental and makes possible the emergence of branch systems and their increasing entropy. We have previously shown that all solutions of our model divide into two halves at a unique `Janus point' of maximum disorder. This constitutes a common past for two futures each with its own gravitational arrow of time. We now show that these arrows are expressed through the formation of branch systems within which conventional entropy increases. On either side of the Janus point, this increase is in the same direction in every branch system. We also show that it is only possible to specify unbiased solution-determining data at the Janus point. Special properties of these `mid-point data' make it possible to develop a rational theory of the typicality of universes whose governing law, as in our model, dictates the presence of a Janus point in every solution. If our self-gravitating universe is governed by such a law, then the second law of thermodynamics is a necessary direct consequence of it and does not need any special initial condition.

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