arXiv subjects

Michael Heller

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Heller.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Through the Singularity

In this work, we propose a dangerous journey -- a journey through the strong singularity from one universe to another or from inside of a black hole to its 'inverse' as a white hole. Such singularities are hidden in the Friedman and Schwarzschild solutions; we call them malicious singularities. The journey is made possible owing to two generalizations. The first generalization consists in considering spaces with differential structures on them (the so-called ringed spaces) rather than the usual manifolds. This entails a generalization of the concept of smoothness, which allows us to think about a smooth passage through the singularity. The second generalization is related to the concept of curve. We show that if a kind of singularity is implanted in the set of curve's parameters, along with an appropriate topology, in such a way that the structure of the set of parameters corresponds to the structure of the singular space-time, the curve can smoothly -- in a generalized sense -- pass through the singularity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Functorial Einstein Algebras and the Malicious Singularity

Einstein algebra, the concept due to Geroch, is essentially general relativity in an algebraic disguise. We introduce the concept of Einstein-Grassmann algebra as a superalgebra (defining a supermanifold) which is also an Einstein algebra. We employ this concept to confront the supermanifold structure with the structure of strong singularity, the so-called malicious singularity, in general relativity. Einstein-Grassmann algebras consist of two parts: a part called body and a part called soul. For the body part, the singularity theorems apply and the singularities persist as the conclusions of the classical theorems on the existence of singularities require. We prove that, if we relax algebraical requirements, the soul part of the algebra can survive the malicious singularity. In particular, we study the behaviour of supercurves in the presence of malicious singularity.

math-ph↗

arXiv2023

Functorial differential spaces and the infinitesimal structure of space-time

We generalize the differential space concept as a tool for developing differential geometry, and enrich this geometry with infinitesimals that allow us to penetrate into the superfine structure of space. This is achieved by Yoneda embedding a ring of smooth functions into the category of loci. This permits us to define a category of functorial differential spaces. By suitably choosing various algebras as "stages" in this category, one obtains various classes of differential spaces, both known from the literature and many so far unknown. In particular, if one chooses a Weil algebra, infinitesimals are produced. We study the case with some Weil algebra which allows us to fully develop the corresponding differential geometry with infinitesimals. To test the behavior of infinitesimals, we construct a simplified RWFL cosmological model. As it should be expected, infinitesimals remain latent during the entire macroscopic evolution (regarded backwards in time), and come into play only when the universe attains infinitesimal dimensions. Then they penetrate into the structure of the initial singularity.

math-ph↗

arXiv2022

Einstein Algebras in a Categorical Context

According to the basic idea of category theory, any Einstein algebra, essentially an algebraic formulation of general relativity, can be considered from the point of view of any object of the category of smooth algebras; such an object is then called a stage. If we contemplate a given Einstein algebra from the point of view of the stage, which we choose to be an "algebra with infinitesimals" (Weil algebra), then we can suppose it penetrates a submicroscopic level, on which quantum gravity might function. We apply Vinogradov's notion of geometricity (adapted to this situation), and show that the corresponding algebra is geometric, but then the infinitesimal level is unobservable from the macro-level. However, the situation can change if a given algebra is noncommutative. An analogous situation occurs when as stages, instead of Weil algebras, we take many other smooth algebras, for example those that describe spaces in which with ordinary points coexsist "parametrized points", for example closed curves (loops). We also discuss some other consequences of putting Einstein algebras into the conceptual environment of category theory.

math-ph↗

arXiv2022

Causality and time order -- relativistic and probabilistic aspects

We investigate temporal and causal threads in the fabric of contemporary physical theories with an emphasis on empirical and operationalistic aspects. Building on the axiomatization of general relativity proposed by J. Ehlers, F. Pirani and A. Schild and the global space-time structure elaborated by R. Penrose, S.W. Hawking, B. Carter and others, we argue that the current way of doing relativistic physics presupposes treating time and causality as primitive concepts, neither of them being `more primitive' than the other. The decision regarding which concepts to assume as primitive and which statements to regard as axioms depends on the choice of the angle at which we contemplate the whole. This standard approach is based on the presupposition that the concept of a point-like particle is a viable approximation. However, this assumption is not supported by a realistic approach to doing physics and, in particular, by quantum theory. We remove this assumption by analysing the recent works by M. Eckstein and T. Miller. They consider the space $P(M)$ of probability measures on space-time $M$ such that, for an element $μ\in P(M)$, the number $μ(K)$ specifies the probability of the occurrence of some event associated with the space-time region $K$ and the measure $μ$. In this way, $M$ is not to be regarded as a collection of space-time events, but rather as a support for corresponding probability measures. As shown by Eckstein and Miller, the space $P(M)$ inherits the causal order from the underlying space-time and facilitates a rigorous notion of a `causal evolution of probability measures'. We look at the deductive chains creating temporal and causal structures analysed in these works, in order to highlight their operational (or quasi-operational) aspect. This is impossible without taking into account the relative frequencies and correlations observed in relevant experiments.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

The Geometrization of Meaning

One of the greatest problems in philosophy is that of meaning. The turning point in thinking on meaning was Tarski's definition of truth, and the rapid development of logical semantics and model theory was a consequence of this achievement. Perhaps less well-known among classical logicians and philosophers is that it is category theory that provides adequate mathematical tools to study the relationship between the syntax of formalized theories and their semantics. The aim of this article is to change this situation and make a preliminary philosophical analysis of the results obtained so far. They concern formalized algebraic theories with axioms in the form of equational laws, theories based on propositional logic and coherent Boolean logic, as well as decidable logic which is not necessarily Boolean. The syntactic-semantics relation for these theories takes the form of dualisms between the respective syntactic and semantic categories. These dualisms are given by the appropriate adjoint functors. In all the considered cases, the syntax--semantics dualism corresponds to the algebra-geometry dualism. We analyze the philosophical significance of these results. They allow us to look at the problem of meaning in a new light and formulate a criterion distinguishing formal theories from empirical theories. The disputes that were once fought over Tarski's definition of truth are transferred to a new context. The polemics as to whether Tarski actually succeeded in reducing the problem of meaning to purely syntactic terms has been superseded: between the syntactic and semantic categories there is not a relation of reducibility but rather that of interaction, and this relation is given by adjoint functors. We also touch upon other philosophical aspects of the categorical approach to the problem of meaning.

math.LO↗

arXiv2020

The Homunculus Brain and Categorical Logic

The interaction between syntax (formal language) and its semantics (meanings of language) is one which has been well studied in categorical logic. The results of this particular study are employed to understand how the brain is able to create meanings. To emphasize the toy character of the proposed model, we prefer to speak of the homunculus brain rather than the brain per se. The homunculus brain consists of neurons, each of which is modeled by a category, and axons between neurons, which are modeled by functors between the corresponding neuron-categories. Each neuron (category) has its own program enabling its working, i.e. a theory of this neuron. In analogy to what is known from categorical logic, we postulate the existence of a pair of adjoint functors, called Lang and Syn, from a category, now called BRAIN, of categories, to a category, now called MIND, of theories. Our homunculus is a kind of ``mathematical robot'', the neuronal architecture of which is not important. Its only aim is to provide us with the opportunity to study how such a simple brain-like structure could ``create meanings'' and perform abstraction operations out of its purely syntactic program. The pair of adjoint functors Lang and Syn model the mutual dependencies between the syntactical structure of a given theory of MIND and the internal logic of its semantics given by a category of BRAIN. In this way, a formal language (syntax) and its meanings (semantics) are interwoven with each other in a manner corresponding to the adjointness of the functors Lang and Syn. Higher cognitive functions of abstraction and realization of concepts are also modelled by a corresponding pair of adjoint functors. The categories BRAIN and MIND interact with each other with their entire structures and, at the same time, these very structures are shaped by this interaction.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2017

Beyond the Space-Time Boundary

In General Relativity a space-time $M$ is regarded singular if there is an obstacle that prevents an incomplete curve in $M$ to be continued. Usually, such a space-time is completed to form $\bar{M} = M \cup \partial M$ where $\partial M$ is a singular boundary of $M$. The standard geometric tools on $M$ do not allow "to cross the boundary". However, the so-called Synthetic Differential Geometry (SDG), a categorical version of standard differential geometry based on intuitionistic logic, has at its disposal tools permitting doing so. Owing to the existence of infinitesimals one is able to penetrate "germs of manifolds" that are not visible from the standard perspective. We present a simple model showing what happens "beyond the boundary" and when the singularity is finally attained. The model is purely mathematical and is mathematically rigorous but it does not pretend to refer to the physical universe.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Gravity in the smallest

Synthetic Differential Geometry (SDG) is a categorical version of differential geometry based on enriching the real line with infinitesimals and weakening of classical logic to intuitionistic logic. We show that SDG provides an effective mathematical tool to formulate general relativity in infinitesimally small domains. Such a domain is modelled by a monad around a point $x$ of a manifold $M$, defined as a collection of points in $M$ that differ from $x$ by an infinitesimal value. Monads have rich enough matematical structure to allow for the existence of all geomeric quantities necesary to construct general relativity "in the smallest". We focus on connection and curvature. We also comment on the covariance principle and the equivalence principle in this context. Identification of monads with what happens "beneath the Planck threshold" could open new possibilities in our search for quantum gravity theory.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Synthetic Approach to the Singularity Problem

We try to convince the reader that the categorical version of differential geometry, called Synthetic Differential Geometry (SDG), offers valuable tools which can be applied to work with some unsolved problems of general relativity. We do this with respect to the space-time singularity problem. The essential difference between the usual differential geometry and SDG is that the latter enriches the real line by introducing infinitesimal of various kinds. Owing to this geometry acquires a tool to penetrate "infinitesimally small" parts of a given manifold. However, to make use of this tool we must switch from the category of sets to some other suitable category. We try two topoi: the topos ${\cal G}$ of germ determined ideals and the so-called Basel topos ${\cal B}$. The category of manifolds is a subcategory of both of them. In ${\cal G}$, we construct a simple model of a contracting sphere. As the sphere shrinks, its curvature increases, but when the radius of the sphere reaches infinitesimal values, the curvature becomes infinitesimal and the singularity is avoided. The topos ${\cal B}$, unlike the topos ${\cal G}$, has invertible infinitesimal and infinitely large nonstandard natural numbers. This allows us to see what happens when a function "goes through a singularity". When changing from the category of sets to another topos, one must be ready to switch from classical logic to intuitionistic logic. This is a radical step, but the logic of the universe is not obliged to conform to the logic of our brains.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

How Logic Interacts with Geometry: Infinitesimal Curvature of Categorical Spaces

In category theory, logic and geometry cooperate with each other producing what is known under the name Synthetic Differential Geometry (SDG). The main difference between SDG and standard differential geometry is that the intuitionistic logic of SDG enforces the existence of infinitesimal objects which essentially modify the local structure of spaces considered in SDG. We focus on an "infinitesimal version" of SDG, an infinitesimal $n$-dimensional formal manifold, and develop differential geometry on it. In particular, we show that the Riemann curvature tensor on infinitesimal level is itself infinitesimal. We construct a heuristic model $S^3 \times \mathbb{R} \subset \mathbb{R}^4$ and study it from two perspectives: the perspective of the category SET and that of the so-called topos $\mathcal{G}$ of germ-determined ideals. We show that the fact that in this model the curvature tensor is infinitesimal (in $\mathcal{G}$-perspective) eliminates the existing singularity. A surprising effect is that the hybrid geometry based on the existence of the infinitesimal and the SET levels generates an exotic smooth structure on $\mathbb{R}^4$. We briefly discuss the obtained results and indicate their possible applications.

math.DG↗

arXiv2016

Category Free Category Theory and Its Philosophical Implications

There exists a dispute in philosophy, going back at least to Leibniz, whether is it possible to view the world as a network of relations and relations between relations with the role of objects, between which these relations hold, entirely eliminated. Category theory seems to be the correct mathematical theory for clarifying conceptual possibilities in this respect. In this theory, objects acquire their identity either by definition, when in defining category we postulate the existence of objects, or formally by the existence of identity morphisms. We show that it is perfectly possible to get rid of the identity of objects by definition, but the formal identity of objects remains as an essential element of the theory. This can be achieved by defining category exclusively in terms of morphisms and identity morphisms (objectless, or object free, category) and, analogously, by defining category theory entirely in terms of functors and identity functors (categoryless, or category free, category theory). With objects and categories eliminated, we focus on the "philosophy of arrows" and the roles various identities play in it (identities as such, identities up to isomorphism, identities up to natural isomorphism...). This perspective elucides a contrast between "set ontology" and "categorical ontology".

math.CT↗

arXiv2013

A Sheaf of von Neumann Algebras and Its Geometry

It is shown that the differential geometry of space-time, can be expressed in terms of the algebra of operators on a bundle of Hilbert spaces. The price for this is that the algebra of smooth functions on space-time has to be made noncommutative. The generalized differential geometry of space-time is constructed in terms of the algebra A (and its derivations) on a transformation groupoid. Regular representation π of A in the algebra of bounded operators on a bundle of Hilbert spaces leads to the algebra π(A) = M_0 which can be completed to the von Neumann algebra M . The representation πestablishes the isomorphism between A and M_0 which, in turn, implies the isomorphism between moduli of their derivations. In this way, geometry naturally transfers to the algebra M_0 and its derivations. Although geometry, as defined in terms of M_0, is formally isomorphic to that defined in terms of A, it exhibits a strong probabilistic flavour. However, the geometry of M_0 does not prolong to M . This is clearly a serious stumbling block to fully unify mathematical tools of general relativity and quantum theory.

math-ph↗

arXiv2011

Semidirect Product of Groupoids, Its Representations and Random Operators

One of pressing problems in mathematical physics is to find a generalized Poincaré symmetry that could be applied to nonflat space-times. As a step in this direction we define the semidirect product of groupoids $Γ_0 \rtimes Γ_1$ and investigate its properties. We also define the crossed product of a bundle of algebras with the groupoid $Γ_1$ and prove that it is isomorphic to the convolutive algebra of the groupoid $Γ_0 \rtimes Γ_1$. We show that families of unitary representations of semidirect product groupoids in a bundle of Hilbert spaces are random operators. An important example is the Poincaré groupoid defined as the semidirect product of the subgroupoid of generalized Lorentz transformations and the subgroupoid of generalized translations.

math-ph↗

arXiv2011

Geometry of Non-Hausdorff Spaces and Its Significance for Physics

Hausdorff relation, topologically identifying points in a given space, belongs to elementary tools of modern mathematics. We show that if subtle enough mathematical methods are used to analyze this relation, the conclusions may be far-reaching and illuminating. Examples of situations in which the Hausdorff relation is of the total type, i.e., when it identifies all points of the considered space, are the space of Penrose tilings and space-times of some cosmological models with strong curvature singularities. With every Hausdorff relation a groupoid can be associated, and a convolutive algebra defined on it allows one to analyze the space that otherwise would remain intractable. The regular representation of this algebra in a bundle of Hilbert spaces leads to a von Neumann algebra of random operators. In this way, a probabilistic description (in a generalized sense) naturally takes over when the concept of point looses its meaning. In this situation counterparts of the position and momentum operators can be defined, and they satisfy a commutation relation which, in the suitable limiting case, reproduces the Heisenberg indeterminacy relation. It should be emphasized that this is neither an additional assumption nor an effect of a quantization process, but simply the consequence of a purely geometric analysis.

math-ph↗

arXiv2008

General Relativity on Random Operators

We present a mathematical structure which unifies mathematical structures of general relativity and quantum mechanics. It consists of the noncommutative algebra of compactly supported, complex valued functions ${\mathcal A}$, with convolution as multiplication, on a groupoid $Γ$ the base of which is the total space $E$ of the frame bundle over space-time $M$. A differential geometry based on derivations of ${\mathcal A}$ suitably generalizes the standard differential geometry of space-time, and the algebra ${\mathcal A}$, when represented in a bundle of Hilbert spaces, defines a von Neumann algebra ${\mathcal M}$ of random operators that generalizes the usual quantum mechanics. The main result of the present paper is that there exists a space ${\mathcal M_0}$, dense in ${\mathcal M}$, that is isomorphic with the algebra ${\mathcal A}$. This isomorphism allows us to transfer all differentially geometric constructions, generalized Einstein's equations including, made with the help of ${\mathcal A}$ (and its derivations) to the space ${\mathcal M_0}$. In this way, we obtain a generalization of general relativity in terms of random operators on a bundle of Hilbert spaces. However, this generalization cannot be extended to the whole of ${\mathcal M}$, and this is the main mathematical obstacle, at least in this approach, to fully unify theory of gravity with physics of quanta.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2007

Anatomy of Malicious Singularities

As well known, the b-boundaries of the closed Friedman world model and of Schwarzschild solution consist of a single point. We study this phenomenon in a broader context of differential and structured spaces. We show that it is an equivalence relation $ρ$, defined on the Cauchy completed total space $\bar{E}$ of the frame bundle over a given space-time, that is responsible for this pathology. A singularity is called malicious if the equivalence class $[p_0]$ related to the singularity remains in close contact with all other equivalence classes, i.e., if $p_0 \in \mathrm{cl}[p]$ for every $p \in E$. We formulate conditions for which such a situation occurs. The differential structure of any space-time with malicious singularities consists only of constant functions which means that, from the topological point of view, everything collapses to a single point. It was noncommutative geometry that was especially devised to deal with such situations. A noncommutative algebra on $\bar{E}$, which turns out to be a von Neumann algebra of random operators, allows us to study probabilistic properties (in a generalized sense) of malicious singularities. Our main result is that, in the noncommutative regime, even the strongest singularities are probabilistically irrelevant.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2005

Noncommutative Unification of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

In Gen. Rel. Grav. (36, 111-126 (2004); in press, gr-qc/0410010) we have proposed a model unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics based on a noncommutative geometry. This geometry was developed in terms of a noncommutative algebra A defined on a transformation groupoid given by the action of a group G on a space E. Owing to the fact that G was assumed to be finite it was possible to compute the model in full details. In the present paper we develop the model in the case when G is a noncompact group. It turns out that also in this case the model works well. The case is important since to obtain physical effects predicted by the model we should assume that G is a Lorentz group or some of its representations. We show that the generalized Einstein equation of the model has the form of the eigenvalue equation for the generalized Ricci operator, and all relevant operators in the quantum sector of the model are random operators; we study their dynamics. We also show that the model correctly reproduces general relativity and the usual quantum mechanics. It is interesting that the latter is recovered by performing the measurement of any observable. In the act of such a measurement the model ``collapses'' to the usual quantum mechanics.

gr-qc↗