arXiv subjects

S. Carlip

Publications and source records attributed to S. Carlip.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Topologically Massive AdS Gravity

We analyze (2+1)-dimensional gravity with a Chern--Simons term and a negative cosmological constant, primarily at the weak field level. The full theory is expressible as the sum of two higher derivative SL(2,R) "vector" Chern-Simons terms, while the physical bulk degrees of freedom correspond to a single massive scalar field, just as for Lambda=0. The interplay of Lambda and the mass parameter mu can be studied, and any physical mass--including the conformal value with null propagation--is accessible by tuning mu. The single bulk mode yields a complete set of normalizable positive energy wave packets, as long as one chooses the usual, "wrong" sign of G necessary to connect smoothly with the known Lambda=0 limit. The chiral Chern--Simons coupling leads to gauge invariant linearized curvatures propagating with chirality-dependent masses. Linearized metric fluctuations have a finite asymptotic Fefferman--Graham expansion about the Poincar'e metric for any mass value greater or equal to a "critical" one, where various amusing effects appear, such as vanishing of one of the two "vector" Chern-Simons terms and an equivalence between tensor and vector excitations. We also find a set of chiral, pp-wave metrics that exactly solve the full nonlinear equations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2008

Is Quantum Gravity Necessary?

In view of the enormous difficulties we seem to face in quantizing general relativity, we should perhaps consider the possibility that gravity is a fundamentally classical interaction. Theoretical arguments against such mixed classical-quantum models are strong, but not conclusive, and the question is ultimately one for experiment. I review some work in progress on the possibility of experimental tests, exploiting the nonlinearity of the classical-quantum coupling, that could help settle this question.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2007

Transient Observers and Variable Constants, or Repelling the Invasion of the Boltzmann's Brains

If the universe expands exponentially without end, ``ordinary observers'' like ourselves may be vastly outnumbered by ``Boltzmann's brains,'' transient observers who briefly flicker into existence as a result of quantum or thermal fluctuations. One might then wonder why we are so atypical. I show that tiny changes in physics--for instance, extremely slow variations of fundamental constants--can drastically change this result, and argue that one should be wary of conclusions that rely on exact knowledge of the laws of physics in the very distant future.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Black Hole Thermodynamics from Euclidean Horizon Constraints

To explain black hole thermodynamics in quantum gravity, one must introduce constraints to ensure that a black hole is actually present. I show that for a large class of black holes, such ``horizon constraints'' allow the use of conformal field theory techniques to compute the density of states, reproducing the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy in a nearly model-independent manner. One standard string theory approach to black hole entropy arises as a special case, lending support to the claim that the mechanism may be ``universal.'' I argue that the relevant degrees of freedom are Goldstone-boson-like excitations arising from the weak breaking of symmetry by the constraints.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2007

Symmetries, Horizons, and Black Hole Entropy

Black holes behave as thermodynamic systems, and a central task of any quantum theory of gravity is to explain these thermal properties. A statistical mechanical description of black hole entropy once seemed remote, but today we suffer an embarrassment of riches: despite counting very different states, many inequivalent approaches to quantum gravity obtain identical results. Such ``universality'' may reflect an underlying two-dimensional conformal symmetry near the horizon, which can be powerful enough to control the thermal characteristics independent of other details of the theory. This picture suggests an elegant description of the relevant degrees of freedom as Goldstone-boson-like excitations arising from symmetry breaking by the conformal anomaly.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2006

A possible experimental test of quantized gravity

While it is widely believed that gravity should ultimately be treated as a quantum theory, there remains a possibility that general relativity should not be quantized. If this is the case, the coupling of classical gravity to the expectation value of the quantum stress-energy tensor will naturally lead to nonlinearities in the Schrodinger equation. By numerically investigating time evolution in the nonrelativistic "Schrodinger-Newton" approximation, we show that such nonlinearities may be observable in the next generation of molecular interferometry experiments.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2006

Horizons, Constraints, and Black Hole Entropy

Black hole entropy appears to be ``universal''--many independent calculations, involving models with very different microscopic degrees of freedom, all yield the same density of states. I discuss the proposal that this universality comes from the behavior of the underlying symmetries of the classical theory. To impose the condition that a black hole be present, we must partially break the classical symmetries of general relativity, and the resulting Goldstone boson-like degrees of freedom may account for the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. In particular, I demonstrate that the imposition of a ``stretched horizon'' constraint modifies the algebra of symmetries at the horizon, allowing the use of standard conformal field theory techniques to determine the asymptotic density of states. The results reproduce the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy without any need for detailed assumptions about the microscopic theory.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2005

Reply to ``Comment on Model-dependence of Shapiro time delay and the `speed of gravity/speed of light' controversy''

To determine whether the Shapiro time delay of light passing near a moving object depends on the ``speed of gravity'' or the ``speed of light,'' one must analyze observations in a bimetric framework in which these two speeds can be different. In a recent comment (gr-qc/0510048), Kopeikin has argued that such a computation -- described in gr-qc/0403060 -- missed a hidden dependence on the speed of gravity. By analyzing the observables in the relevant bimetric model, I show that this claim is incorrect, and that the conclusions of gr-qc/0403060 stand.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2005

A Note on Real Tunneling Geometries

In the Hartle-Hawking ``no boundary'' approach to quantum cosmology, a real tunneling geometry is a configuration that represents a transition from a compact Riemannian spacetime to a Lorentzian universe. I complete an earlier proof that in three spacetime dimensions, such a transition is ``probable,'' in the sense that the required Riemannian geometry yields a genuine maximum of the semiclassical wave function.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2005

Horizon constraints and black hole entropy

To ask a question about a black hole in quantum gravity, one must restrict initial or boundary data to ensure that a black hole is actually present. For two-dimensional dilaton gravity, and probably a much wider class of theories as well, the imposition of a "stretched horizon" constraint alters the algebra of symmetries at the horizon, introducing a central term. Standard conformal field theory techniques can then then be used to obtain the asymptotic density of states, reproducing the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. The microscopic states responsible for black hole entropy can thus be viewed as "would-be pure gauge" states that become physical because the symmetry is altered by the requirement that a horizon exist.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2005

Conformal Field Theory, (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity, and the BTZ Black Hole

In three spacetime dimensions, general relativity becomes a topological field theory, whose dynamics can be largely described holographically by a two-dimensional conformal field theory at the ``boundary'' of spacetime. I review what is known about this reduction--mainly within the context of pure (2+1)-dimensional gravity--and discuss its implications for our understanding of the statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics of black holes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2005

Dynamics of Asymptotic Diffeomorphisms in (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity

In asymptotically anti-de Sitter gravity, diffeomorphisms that change the conformal boundary data can be promoted to genuine physical degrees of freedom. I show that in 2+1 dimensions, the dynamics of these degrees of freedom is described by a Liouville action, with the correct central charge to reproduce the entropy of the BTZ black hole.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2004

Quantum Gravity in 2+1 Dimensions: The Case of a Closed Universe

In three spacetime dimensions, general relativity drastically simplifies, becoming a ``topological'' theory with no propagating local degrees of freedom. Nevertheless, many of the difficult conceptual problems of quantizing gravity are still present. In this review, I summarize the rather large body of work that has gone towards quantizing (2+1)-dimensional vacuum gravity in the setting of a spatially closed universe.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2004

Model-Dependence of Shapiro Time Delay and the "Speed of Gravity/Speed of Light" Controversy

Fomalont and Kopeikin have recently succeeded in measuring the velocity-dependent component of the Shapiro time delay of light from a quasar passing behind Jupiter. While there is general agreement that this observation tests the gravitomagnetic properties of the gravitational field, a controversy has emerged over the question of whether the results depend on the speed of light, $c$, or the speed of gravity, $c_g$. By analyzing the Shapiro time delay in a set of ``preferred frame'' models, I demonstrate that this question is ill-posed: the distinction can only be made in the context of a class of theories in which $c\ne c_g$, and the answer then depends on the specific class of theories one chooses. It remains true, however, that for a large class of theories ``close enough'' to general relativity, the leading contribution to the time delay depends on $c$ and not $c_g$; within this class, observations are thus not yet accurate enough to measure the speed of gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2004

Non-Quasinormal Modes and Black Hole Physics

The near-horizon geometry of a large class of extremal and near-extremal black holes in string and M theory contains three-dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter space. Motivated by this structure, we are led naturally to a discrete set of complex frequencies defined in terms of the monodromy at the inner and outer horizons of the black hole. We show that the correspondence principle, whereby the real part of these ``non-quasinormal frequencies'' is identified with certain fundamental quanta, leads directly to the correct quantum behavior of the near-horizon Virasoro algebra, and thus the black hole entropy. Remarkably, for the rotating black hole in five dimensions we also reproduce the fractionization of conformal weights predicted in string theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv2003

Peaks in the Hartle-Hawking Wave Function from Sums over Topologies

Recent developments in ``Einstein Dehn filling'' allow the construction of infinitely many Einstein manifolds that have different topologies but are geometrically close to each other. Using these results, we show that for many spatial topologies, the Hartle-Hawking wave function for a spacetime with a negative cosmological constant develops sharp peaks at certain calculable geometries. The peaks we find are all centered on spatial metrics of constant negative curvature, suggesting a new mechanism for obtaining local homogeneity in quantum cosmology.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2003

Phase Transitions and Critical Behavior for Charged Black Holes

We investigate the thermodynamics of a four-dimensional charged black hole in a finite cavity in asymptotically flat and asymptotically de Sitter space. In each case, we find a Hawking-Page-like phase transition between a black hole and a thermal gas very much like the known transition in asymptotically anti-de Sitter space. For a ``supercooled'' black hole--a thermodynamically unstable black hole below the critical temperature for the Hawking-Page phase transition--the phase diagram has a line of first-order phase transitions that terminates in a second order point. For the asymptotically flat case, we calculate the critical exponents at the second order phase transition and find that they exactly match the known results for a charged black hole in anti-de Sitter space. We find strong evidence for similar phase transitions for the de Sitter black hole as well. Thus many of the thermodynamic features of charged anti-de Sitter black holes do not really depend on asymptotically anti-de Sitter boundary conditions; the thermodynamics of charged black holes is surprisingly universal.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2002

Varying Constants, Black Holes, and Quantum Gravity

Tentative observations and theoretical considerations have recently led to renewed interest in models of fundamental physics in which certain ``constants'' vary in time. Assuming fixed black hole mass and the standard form of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, Davies, Davis and Lineweaver have argued that the laws of black hole thermodynamics disfavor models in which the fundamental electric charge $e$ changes. I show that with these assumptions, similar considerations severely constrain ``varying speed of light'' models, unless we are prepared to abandon cherished assumptions about quantum gravity. Relaxation of these assumptions permits sensible theories of quantum gravity with ``varying constants,'' but also eliminates the thermodynamic constraints, though the black hole mass spectrum may still provide some restrictions on the range of allowable models.

gr-qc↗