Quantum gravity as an emergent phenomenon
arXiv:1903.11066 · doi:10.1142/S0218271819440036
Abstract
There ought to exist a reformulation of quantum theory which does not depend on classical time. To achieve such a reformulation, we introduce the concept of an atom of space-time-matter (STM). An STM atom is a classical non-commutative geometry, based on an asymmetric metric, and sourced by a closed string. Different such atoms interact via entanglement. The statistical thermodynamics of a large number of such atoms gives rise, at equilibrium, to a theory of quantum gravity. Far from equilibrium, where statistical fluctuations are large, the emergent theory reduces to classical general relativity. In this theory, classical black holes are far-from-equilibrium low entropy states, and their Hawking evaporation represents an attempt to return to the (maximum entropy) equilibrium quantum gravitational state.
8 pages, 1 figure, Essay written for the Gravity Research Foundation 2019 Awards for Essays on Gravitation. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1903.05402; v2: this essay is a significantly condensed version of arXiv:1903.05402, Ref. 2 updated, Honorable Mention, to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys