arXiv subjects

Olaf Dreyer

Publications and source records attributed to Olaf Dreyer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Matrix completion and semidefinite matrices

Positive semidefinite Hermitian matrices that are not fully specified can be completed provided their underlying graph is chordal. If the matrix is positive definite the completion can be uniquely characterized as the matrix that maximizes the determinant, or as the matrix whose inverse has zeroes in those places that were undetermined in the original matrix. This paper extends these uniqueness results to the case of semidefinite matrices. Because the determinant vanishes for singular matrices, and because the inverse does not exist, we introduce a generalized determinant and use generalized inverses to formulate equivalent characterizations in the semidefinite case. For a class of matrices that are singular but of maximal rank unique characterizations can be given, just as in the positive definite case.

math.RA↗

arXiv2021

Completing correlation matrices

We describe a way to complete a correlation matrix that is not fully specified. Such matrices often arise in financial applications when the number of stochastic variables becomes large or when several smaller models are combined in a larger model. We argue that the proper completion to consider is the matrix that maximizes the entropy of the distribution described by the matrix. We then give a way to construct this matrix starting from the graph associated with the incomplete matrix. If this graph is chordal our construction will result in a proper correlation matrix. We give a detailed description of the construction for a cross-currency model with six stochastic variables and describe extensions to larger models involving more currencies.

q-fin.MF↗

arXiv2013

Beyond information: A bit of meaning

Is our world just information? We argue that our current notion of information has one serious shortcoming: It is quite literally meaningless. We suggest a meaningful extension of the notion of information that is dynamic, internal, approximate, contains an element of randomness, and is layered. This new notion of information derives from the interactions of material objects. Our answer to the essay question then is Bit from It or, more appropriately, Bit++ from It. We discuss how our new notion of information sheds light on the measurement problem in quantum mechanics and how it can be applied in philosophy and computer science.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

The world is discrete

We argue that the scale-free spectrum that is observed in the cosmic microwave background is the result of a phase transition in the early universe. The observed tilt of the spectrum, which has been measured to be 0.04, is shown to be equal to the anomalous scaling dimension of the correlation function. The phase transition replaces inflation as the mechanism that produces this spectrum. The tilt further indicates that there is a fundamental small length scale in nature that we have not yet observed in any other way.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Entropy from near-horizon geometries of Killing horizons

We derive black hole entropy based on the near-horizon symmetries of black hole space-times. To derive these symmetries we make use of an $(R,T)$-plane close to a Killing horizon. We identify a set of vector fields that preserves this plane and forms a Witt algebra. The corresponding algebra of Hamiltonians is shown to have a non-trivial central extension. Using the Cardy formula and the central charge we obtain the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

From bricks to quasinormal modes: A new perspective on black hole entropy

Calculations of black hole entropy based on the counting of modes of a quantum field propagating in a Schwarzschild background need to be regularized in the vicinity of the horizon. To obtain the Bekenstein-Hawking result the short distance cut-off needs to be fixed by hand. In this note we give an argument for obtaining this cut-off in a natural fashion. We do this by modelling the black hole by its set of quasinormal modes. The horizon then becomes a extended region: the quantum ergosphere. The interaction of the quantum ergosphere and the quantum field provides a natural regularization mechanism. The width of the quantum ergosphere provides the right cut-off for the entropy calculation. We arrive at a dual picture of black hole entropy. The entropy of the black hole is given both by the entropy of the quantum field in the bulk and the dynamical degrees of freedom on the horizon.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

The universal path integral

Path integrals represent a powerful route to quantization: they calculate probabilities by summing over classical configurations of variables such as fields, assigning each configuration a phase equal to the action of that configuration. This paper defines a universal path integral, which sums over all computable structures. This path integral contains as sub-integrals all possible computable path integrals, including those of field theory, the standard model of elementary particles, discrete models of quantum gravity, string theory, etc. The universal path integral possesses a well-defined measure that guarantees its finiteness, together with a method for extracting probabilities for observable quantities. The universal path integral supports a quantum theory of the universe in which the world that we see around us arises out of the interference between all computable structures.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Not on but of

In physics we encounter particles in one of two ways. Either as fundamental constituents of the theory or as emergent excitations. These two ways differ by how the particle relates to the background. It either sits on the background, or it is an excitation of the background. We argue that by choosing the former to construct our fundamental theories we have made a costly mistake. Instead we should think of particles as excitations of a background. We show that this point of view sheds new light on the cosmological constant problem and even leads to observable consequences by giving a natural explanation for the appearance of MOND-like behavior. In this context it also becomes clear why there are numerical coincidences between the MOND acceleration parameter, the cosmological constant and the Hubble parameter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Internal Relativity

General relativity differs from other forces in nature in that it can be made to disappear locally. This is the essence of the equivalence principle. In general relativity the equivalence principle is implemented using differential geometry. The connection that comes from a metric is used to glue together the different gravity-free Minkowski spaces. In this article we argue that there is another way to implement the equivalence principle. In this new way it is not different Minkowski spaces that are connected but different vacua of an underlying solid-state like model. One advantage of this approach to gravity is that one can start with a quantum mechanical model so that the question of how to arrive at a quantum theory of gravity does not arise. We show how the gravitational constant can be calculated in this setup.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2009

Time is not the problem

Attempts to quantize general relativity encounter an odd problem. The Hamiltonian that normally generates time evolution vanishes in the case of general relativity as a result of diffeomorphism invariance. The theory seems to be saying that time does not exist. The most obvious feature of our world, namely that time seems to progress and that the world changes accordingly becomes a problem in this presumably fundamental theory. This is called the problem of time. In this essay we argue that this problem is the result of an unphysical idealization. We are caught in this "problem of time" trap because we took a wrong turn in the early days of relativity by permanently including a split of geometry and matter into our physical theories. We show that another possibility exists that circumvents the problem of time and also sheds new light on other problems like the cosmological constant problem and the horizon problem in early universe cosmology.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Early Universe Cosmology in Internal Relativity

We present a new approach to early universe cosmology. Inflation is replaced by a phase transition in which both matter and geometry are created simultaneously. We calculate the spectrum of metric perturbations and show that it is flat. We then argue that as a consequence of the dynamic nature of the phase transition the spectrum is likely not completely flat but tilted. We argue that the tilt is related to $η$, one of the critical exponents characterizing the phase transition. This exponent generically lies between 0.03 and 0.06. It thus coincides with the observed tilt of the perturbation spectrum. Because the critical exponent is related to the presence of an additional small length scale we argue that the deviation of the observed spectrum from flatness might be an experimental indication that our world is in fact discrete.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Why things fall

In this paper we discuss Internal Relativity, a recent program to address the problem of quantum gravity. In our approach we change the relationship between spacetime and matter. Currently we view matter as propagating on spacetime. Einstein's equations encode how spacetime curves due to the presence of matter and how spacetime, in turn, tells matter how to propagate. In internal realtivity matter and spacetime cease to exist as distinct entities, rather, they arise simultaneously from an underlying quantum system. It is through the emergent matter degrees of freedom that geometry is inferred. We have termed our program Internal Relativity to stress the importance of looking at the system from the point of view of an internal observer. We argue that special relativity is then a natural consequence of this viewpoint. The most important new aspect of Internal Relativity involves how gravity appears. It is not just a new quantum theory of gravity but a new theory of gravity. We also argue that the presence of a massive object implies curvature. In particular we show that Newtonian gravity arises in the appropriate limit. Our argument implies that there is no propagation without gravitation.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2006

Classicality in Quantum Mechanics

In this article we propose a solution to the measurement problem in quantum mechanics. We point out that the measurement problem can be traced to an a priori notion of classicality in the formulation of quantum mechanics. If this notion of classicality is dropped and instead classicality is defined in purely quantum mechanical terms the measurement problem can be avoided. We give such a definition of classicality. It identifies classicality as a property of large quantum system. We show how the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics is a result of this notion of classicality. We also comment on what the implications of this view are for the search of a quantum theory of gravity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Emergent General Relativity

We review different approaches to quantum gravity in which spacetime is emerging. We discuss in some detail the proposals by G. Volovik and S. Lloyd and show how they differ in the way they treat time. We further propose an approach to quantum gravity in which the Einstein equations are derived rather then used. We call this approach Internal Relativity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2006

Emergent Probabilities in Quantum Mechanics

The transition from the quantum to the classical is governed by randomizing devices (RD), i.e., dynamical systems that are very sensitive to the environment. We show that, in the presence of RDs, the usual arguments based on the linearity of quantum mechanics that lead to the measurement problem do not apply. RDs are the source of probabilities in quantum mechanics. Hence, the reason for probabilities in quantum mechanics is the same as the reason for probabilities in other parts of physics, namely our ignorance of the state of the environment. This should not be confused with decoherence. The environment here plays several, equally important roles: it is the dump for energy and entropy of the RD, it puts the RD close to its transition point and it is the reason for probabilities in quantum mechanics. We show that, even though the state of the environment is unknown, the probabilities can be calculated and are given by the Born rule. We then discuss what this view of quantum mechanics means for the search of a quantum theory of gravity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Symmetry and entropy of black hole horizons

We argue, using methods taken from the theory of noiseless subsystems in quantum information theory, that the quantum states associated with a Schwarzchild black hole live in the restricted subspace of the Hilbert space of horizon boundary states in which all punctures are equal. Consequently, one value of the Immirzi parameter matches both the Hawking value for the entropy and the quasi normal mode spectrum of the Schwarzchild black hole. The method of noiseless subsystems thus allows us to understand, in this example and more generally, how symmetries, which take physical states to physical states, can emerge from a diffeomorphism invariant formulation of quantum gravity.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

Background Independent Quantum Field Theory and the Cosmological Constant Problem

We introduce the notion of background independent quantum field theory. The distinguishing feature of this theory is that the dynamics can be formulated without recourse to a background metric structure. We show in a simple model how the metric properties of spacetime can be recovered from the dynamics. Background independence is not only conceptually desirable but allows for the resolution of a problem haunting ordinary quantum field theory: the cosmological constant problem.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

Ln(3) and Black Hole Entropy

We review an idea that uses details of the quasinormal mode spectrum of a black hole to obtain the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of $A/4$ in Loop Quantum Gravity. We further comment on a recent proposal concerning the quasinormal mode spectrum of rotating black holes. We conclude by remarking on a recent proposal to include supersymmetry.

gr-qc↗