Signatures of relic quantum nonequilibrium

Abstract

[Shortened Abstract:] This thesis explores the possibility that quantum probabilities arose thermodynamically. A chief concern is the detection of primordial `quantum nonequilibrium', since this is observably distinct from textbook quantum physics. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 are adaptations of references [1,2,3], and [4] respectively. Chapter 2 proposes (information) entropy conservation as a minimal requirement for a theory to feature classical-style thermodynamic relaxation. The resulting structure is dubbed `the iRelax framework'. Both classical mechanics and de Broglie-Bohm quantum theory are shown to be special cases. Indications for a possible extension or unification of de Broglie-Bohm theory are briefly highlighted. Chapter 3 examines ways in which quantum relaxation may be prevented. The method of the drift-field is introduced. A systematic treatment of nodes is given. A category of quantum states is found for which relaxation is significantly impeded, and may not complete at all. Chapters 4 and 5 consider the possibility that primordial quantum nonequilibrium may be conserved in the statistics of a species of relic cosmological particle. Necessary factors for this to be the case are discussed and illustrative scenarios are given both in terms of nonequilibrium particles created by inflaton decay, as well as relic vacuum modes for species that decoupled close to the Planck temperature. The search for so-called `smoking-gun' spectral lines created by dark matter decay or annihilation is argued to be a particularly promising setting for the detection of quantum nonequilibrium. Unintuitive spectral effects relating to the contextuality of quantum measurements are described. If such a suspected source of quantum nonequilibrium were found, its subjection to a specifically quantum mechanical test would confirm or deny the presence of the quantum nonequilibrium conclusively.

PhD Thesis, 227 pages, 29 figures. Formatted for 6 x 9in paperback bookbinding. Draws heavily (with significant text overlap) on articles arXiv:1409.6817, arXiv:1609.04576, and arXiv:1705.06757

References in corpus (22)

• Experimental quantum teleportation
• The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster
• A Tentative Gamma-Ray Line from Dark Matter Annihilation at the Fermi Large Area Telescope
• Moduli-Induced Gravitino Problem
• Dark Matter Evidence, Particle Physics Candidates and Detection Methods
• Inflaton Decay in Supergravity
• Hitomi constraints on the 3.5 keV line in the Perseus galaxy cluster
• Strong Evidence for Gamma-ray Line Emission from the Inner Galaxy
• Conservative Constraints on Dark Matter Annihilation into Gamma Rays
• The pre-inflationary vacuum in the cosmic microwave background
• Decaying dark matter search with NuSTAR deep sky observations
• H.E.S.S. limits on line-like dark matter signatures in the 100 GeV to 2 TeV energy range close to the Galactic Centre
• Search with EGRET for a Gamma Ray Line from the Galactic Center
• Origin of chaos near critical points of quantum flow
• De Broglie-Bohm Guidance Equations for Arbitrary Hamiltonians
• Gravitino Dark Matter from Inflaton Decay
• Double Gamma-ray Lines from Unassociated Fermi-LAT Sources
• Black Holes, Information Loss, and Hidden Variables
• De Broglie-Bohm Prediction of Quantum Violations for Cosmological Super-Hubble Modes
• Origin of chaos in 3-d Bohmian trajectories
• Chaos in de Broglie - Bohm quantum mechanics and the dynamics of quantum relaxation
• Trans-Planckian fluctuations and the stability of quantum mechanics