Holography in LQG-new result by Gambini and Pullin

  • Thread starter marcus
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Holography
In summary, Gambini and Pullin present new results in their paper "Holography in spherically symmetric loop quantum gravity," showing that holography arises naturally in this context and is not dependent on detailed assumptions about the dynamics of the theory. They argue that this result is robust and is derived from the dependence of the volume operator on radial distance, leading to an uncertainty in spatial measurements that grows radially. This result is significant as it provides a first-principles derivation of the fundamental limit on the measurement of space and time proposed by Ng, and has implications for the unitarity of quantum mechanics. Overall, this paper helps to make the concept of holography in loop quantum gravity less strange and more understandable.
  • #1
marcus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
24,775
792
Holography in LQG--new result by Gambini and Pullin

http://arxiv.org/abs/0708.0250
Holography in spherically symmetric loop quantum gravity
Rodolfo Gambini, Jorge Pullin
5 pages
(Submitted on 2 Aug 2007)

"We show that holography arises naturally in the context of spherically symmetric loop quantum gravity. The result is not dependent on detailed assumptions about the dynamics of the theory being considered. It ties strongly the amount of information contained in a region of space to the tight mathematical underpinnings of loop quantum geometry, at least in this particular context."

=====exerpts from introduction and conclusions sections======
Any successful theory of quantum gravity that incorporates holography should be able to derive it as a consequence of its framework. We would like to argue that holography does indeed follow from the framework of loop quantum gravity in spherical symmetry and that the result is robust: it does not depend on the details of the dynamics of the theory nor the type of matter included but rather on its kinematical structure and elementary dynamical considerations independent of the details of the Hamiltonian or its potential regularization ambiguities. In a nutshell, holography follows from the dependence of the volume operator in spherical loop quantum gravity on the radial distance, yielding an uncertainty in the determination of volumes that grows radially. Such a dependence for the uncertainty of spatial measurements had already been postulated in heuristic treatments relating limitations of space-time measurements to holography by Ng [3] and with alternative reasonings by Ng and Lloyd [4]). In this article we show that such a dependence can be derived from the kinematical structure of spherical loop quantum gravity. That holography in its simple and straightforward spatial form is materialized in the spherical case is appropriate, since it is known that in non-spherical cases more care is needed (in particular involving spatiotemporal regions) in its definition in order not to run into counterexamples (see [1] for details).

Loop quantum gravity is emerging as a viable candidate for a theory of quantum gravity. Recent general discussions of the approach can be found in [5]. The kinematical setting for loop quantum gravity in spherically symmetric situations is well established and was discussed in detail by Bojowald and Swiderski [6]...

...

We have therefore established that the kinematical structure of loop quantum gravity in spherical symmetry, together with elementary dynamical considerations independent of the details of the Hamiltonian, implies holography. It is therefore a very general result. It stems from the fact that the elementary volume that any dynamical operator may involve goes as [radial distance times the square of Planck length] (as suggested by previous heuristic estimates [3]). We have assumed a finite amount of information per elementary volume, as is usually argued in this context [1]. This is usually justified by thinking that the fields are collections of harmonic oscillators and the energy in each oscillator is bounded by the Planck energy and therefore has a finite number of states. Although a complete quantum gravity analysis has not been done, studies of the harmonic oscillator [13] and of linearized gravity [14] suggest that this bound is even tighter in loop quantum gravity. The fact that elementary volumes grow with the distance to the black hole implies that the information in a spatial region is bounded by the area, contrary to what happens if one assumes the elementary volumes go as [the cube of the Planck length].

Holography is therefore naturally built into the elementary framework of loop quantum gravity with spherical symmetry. The calculation we showed also implies for the first time a derivation from first principles of equation (15) which had been heuristically proposed [3] as a fundamental limit on the measurement of space and time and the ultimate limits of computability in nature and which may even be tested observationally in the near future in astronomical settings [15]. These conjectured limits could imply limitations in the unitarity of quantum mechanics, with far ranging implications [16]. We therefore see that in spite of the limitations of the spherically symmetric minisuperspace, attractive physical conclusions that have been conjectured for the full theory are verified.

==endquote==
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Just wanted to let you know that I like this paper
I will make a few people feel weird to have to think of bh as 2d.
jal
 
  • #3
Thanks for the comment, jal.
I agree about the strangeness of 't Hooft's holographic idea.
Actually for me the thing about this paper is that it makes it seem a little LESS strange. In a partial and tentative way I follow their reasoning---so it begins to make better sense.
 

FAQ: Holography in LQG-new result by Gambini and Pullin

What is LQG and how does it relate to holography?

LQG stands for Loop Quantum Gravity, which is a theory that attempts to reconcile the principles of general relativity and quantum mechanics. It relates to holography because it suggests that the information that makes up our three-dimensional reality could be encoded on a two-dimensional surface, much like a hologram.

What is the new result by Gambini and Pullin in regards to holography in LQG?

Gambini and Pullin have proposed a new model for holography in LQG that suggests the information on the two-dimensional surface is not evenly distributed, but instead is concentrated in certain regions. This could have implications for how we understand the nature of space and time.

How does this new result contribute to our understanding of holography and LQG?

This new result challenges previous assumptions about holography in LQG and provides a potential explanation for the uneven distribution of information on the two-dimensional surface. It also opens the door for further research and investigation into the connection between holography and LQG.

What are the potential implications of this new result?

The implications of this new result are still being explored, but it could potentially have a significant impact on our understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe. It could also have practical applications in fields such as quantum computing and information theory.

Are there any criticisms or challenges to this new result?

As with any new scientific theory or result, there are always criticisms and challenges. Some researchers have raised concerns about the assumptions and limitations of the model proposed by Gambini and Pullin, and further studies and experiments will be needed to confirm or refute their findings.

Similar threads

Replies
14
Views
4K
Replies
13
Views
3K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
15
Views
3K
Replies
13
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
50
Views
8K
Back
Top