Published July 21, 2005 | Version v1
Journal article

Background independence in a nutshell: the dynamics of a tetrahedron

  • 1. Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Universita 'La Sapienza', INFN Sez. Roma1, I-00185 Rome (Italy)
  • 2. Centre de Physique Theorique de Luminy, Universite de la Mediterranee, F-13288 Marseille (France)
  • 3. Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Universita di Torino, INFN Sez. Torino, I-10125 Torino (Italy)
  • 4. Centre for Gravity and Geometry, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

Description

We study how physical information can be extracted from a background-independent quantum system. We use an extremely simple 'minimalist' system that models a finite region of 3D Euclidean quantum spacetime with a single equilateral tetrahedron. We show that the physical information can be expressed as a boundary amplitude. We illustrate how the notions of 'evolution' in a boundary proper time and 'vacuum' can be extracted from the background-independent dynamics

Availability note (English)

Available online at http://stacks.iop.org/0264-9381/22/2971/cqg5_14_008.pdf or at the Web site for the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity (ISSN 1361-6382) http://www.iop.org/

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Classical and Quantum Gravity
Journal Volume
22
Journal Issue
14
Journal Page Range
p. 2971-2989
ISSN
0264-9381
CODEN
CQGRDG

INIS

Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
36101530
Subject category
S72: PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS;
Descriptors DEI
AMPLITUDES; EUCLIDEAN SPACE; EVOLUTION; INFORMATION; QUANTUM GRAVITY; SPACE-TIME
Descriptors DEC
FIELD THEORIES; MATHEMATICAL SPACE; QUANTUM FIELD THEORY; RIEMANN SPACE; SPACE