arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J. Greensite.
It is shown that the classical field equations pertaining to gravity coupled to other bosonic fields are equivalent to a single geodesic equation, describing the free fall of a point particle in superspace. Some implications for quantum gravity are discussed.
We consider quantization of the Baierlein-Sharp-Wheeler form of the gravitational action, in which the lapse function is determined from the Hamiltonian constraint. This action has a square root form, analogous to the actions of the relativistic particle and Nambu string. We argue that path-integral quantization of the gravitational action should be based on a path integrand $\exp[ \sqrt{i} S ]$ rather than the familiar Feynman expression $\exp[ i S ]$, and that unitarity requires integration over manifolds of both Euclidean and Lorentzian signature. We discuss the relation of this path integral to our previous considerations regarding the problem of time, and extend our approach to include fermions.
We investigate whether information about Creutz ratios is encoded, separately, in each gluon color component of numerically generated lattice configurations. Working in SU(2) lattice gauge theory in Landau gauge, we set two of the three gluon color components to zero, and compensate for the loss of two-thirds of the fluctuation by simply rescaling the remaining component by a factor of $\sqrt{3}$. Creutz ratios are then computed with this "abelianized" configuration. We find that the Creutz ratios of loops constructed from abelianized links converge to the usual Creutz ratios in the scaling regime.
We point out that for a large class of parametrized theories, there is a constant in the constrained Hamiltonian which drops out of the classical equations of motion in configuration space. Examples include the mass of a relativistic particle in free fall, the tension of the Nambu string, and Newton's constant for the case of pure gravity uncoupled to matter or other fields. In the general case, the classically irrelevant constant is proportional to the ratio of the kinetic and potential terms in the Hamiltonian. It is shown that this ratio can be reinterpreted as an {\it unconstrained} Hamiltonian, which generates the usual classical equations of motion. At the quantum level, this immediately suggests a resolution of the "problem of time" in quantum gravity. We then make contact with a recently proposed transfer matrix formulation of quantum gravity and discuss the semiclassical limit. In this formulation, it is argued that a physical state can obey a (generalized) Poincaré algebra of constraints, and still be an approximate eigenstate of 3-geometry. Solutions of the quantum evolution equations for certain minisuperspace examples are presented. An implication of our proposal is the existence of a small, inherent uncertainty in the phenomenological value of Planck's constant.
A transfer matrix formalism applicable to certain reparametrization invariant theories, including quantum gravity, is proposed. In this formulation it is found that every stationary state in quantum gravity satisfies a Wheeler-DeWitt equation, but each with a different value of the Planck mass; the value $m_{Planck}^4$ turns out to be proportional to the eigenvalue of the evolution operator. As a consequence, the fact that the Universe is non-stationary implies that it is not in an eigenstate of Newton's constant.
We expand on the idea that spacetime signature should be treated as a dynamical degree of freedom in quantum field theory. It has been argued that the probability distribution for signature, induced by massless free fields, is peaked at the Lorentzian value uniquely in D=4 dimensions. This argument is reviewed, and certain consistency constraints on the generalized signature (i.e. the tangent space metric $η_{ab}(x)=\mbox{diag}[e^{iθ(x)},1,1,1]$) are derived. It is shown that only one dynamical "Wick angle" $θ(x)$ can be introduced in the generalized signature, and the magnitude of fluctuations away from Lorentzian signature $δθ= π- θ$ is estimated to be of order $(l_P/R)^3$, where $l_P$ is the Planck length, and $R$ is the length scale of the Universe. For massless fields, the case of D=2 dimensions and the case of supersymmetry are degenerate, in the sense that no signature is preferred. Mass effects lift this degeneracy, and we show that a dynamical origin of Lorentzian signature is also possible for (broken) supersymmetry theories in D=6 dimensions, in addition to the more general non-supersymmetric case in D=4 dimensions.
We point out that the abelian projection theory of quark confinement is in conflict with certain large-N predictions. According to both large-N and lattice strong-coupling arguments, the perimeter law behavior of adjoint Wilson loops at large scales is due to charge-screening, and is suppressed relative to the area term by a factor of $1/N^2$. In the abelian projection theory, however, the perimeter law is due to the fact that $N-1$ out of $N^2-1$ adjoint quark degrees of freedom are (abelian) neutral and unconfined; the suppression factor relative to the area law is thus only $1/N$. We study numerically the behavior of Wilson loops and Polyakov lines with insertions of (abelian) charge projection operators, in maximal abelian gauge. It appears from our data that the forces between abelian charged, and abelian neutral adjoint quarks are not significantly different. We also show via the lattice strong-coupling expansion that, at least at strong couplings, QCD flux tubes attract one another, whereas vortices in type II superconductors repel.
It is suggested that not only the curvature, but also the signature of spacetime is subject to quantum fluctuations. A generalized D-dimensional spacetime metric of the form $g_{μν}=e^a_μη_{ab} e^b_ν$ is introduced, where $η_{ab} = diag\{e^{iθ},1,...,1\}$. The corresponding functional integral for quantized fields then interpolates from a Euclidean path integral in Euclidean space, at $θ=0$, to a Feynman path integral in Minkowski space, at $θ=π$. Treating the phase $e^{iθ}$ as just another quantized field, the signature of spacetime is determined dynamically by its expectation value. The complex-valued effective potential $V(θ)$ for the phase field, induced by massless fields at one-loop, is considered. It is argued that $Re[V(θ)]$ is minimized and $Im[V(θ)]$ is stationary, uniquely in D=4 dimensions, at $θ=π$, which suggests a dynamical origin for the Lorentzian signature of spacetime.
It is shown that the probability distribution $P(λ)$ for the effective cosmological constant is sharply peaked at $λ=0$ in stochastic (or "fifth-time") stabilized quantum gravity. The effect is similar to the Baum-Hawking mechanism, except that it comes about due to quantum fluctuations, rather than as a zeroth-order (in $\hbar$) semiclassical effect.
Following the reasoning of Claudson and Halpern, it is shown that "fifth-time" stabilized quantum gravity is equivalent to Langevin evolution (i.e. stochastic quantization) between fixed non-singular, but otherwise arbitrary, initial and final states. The simple restriction to a fixed final state at $t_5 \rightarrow \infty$ is sufficient to stabilize the theory. This equivalence fixes the integration measure, and suggests a particular operator-ordering, for the fifth-time action of quantum gravity. Results of a numerical simulation of stabilized, latticized Einstein-Cartan theory on some small lattices are reported. In the range of cosmological constant $ł$ investigated, it is found that: 1) the system is always in the broken phase $ \ne 0$; and 2) the negative free energy is large, possibly singular, in the vincinity of $ł= 0$. The second finding may be relevant to the cosmological constant problem.