Probing the Planck scale: The modification of the time evolution operator due to the quantum structure of spacetime

Abstract

The propagator which evolves the wave-function in NRQM, can be expressed as a matrix element of a time evolution operator: i.e $G_{\mathrm{NR}}(x)=⟨{\mathbf{x}}_2|U_{\mathrm{NR}}(t)|{\mathbf{x}}_1⟩$ in terms of the orthonormal eigenkets $|\mathbf{x}⟩$ of the position operator. In QFT, it is not possible to define a conceptually useful single-particle position operator or its eigenkets. It is also not possible to interpret the relativistic (Feynman) propagator $G_R(x)$ as evolving any kind of single-particle wave-functions. In spite of all these, it is indeed possible to express the propagator of a free spinless particle, in QFT, as a matrix element $⟨{\mathbf{x}}_2|U_{\mathrm{R}}(t)|{\mathbf{x}}_1⟩$ for a suitably defined time evolution operator and (non-orthonormal) kets $|\mathbf{x}⟩$ labeled by spatial coordinates. At mesoscopic scales, which are close but not too close to Planck scale, one can incorporate quantum gravitational corrections to the propagator by introducing a zero-point-length. It turns out that even this QG corrected propagator can be expressed as a matrix element $⟨{\mathbf{x}}_2|U_{\mathrm{QG}}(t)|{\mathbf{x}}_1⟩$. I describe these results and explore several consequences. It turns out that the evolution operator $U_{\mathrm{QG}}(t)$ becomes non-unitary for sub-Planckian time intervals while remaining unitary for time interval is larger than Planck time. The results can be generalised to any ultrastatic curved spacetime.

24 pages; no figures

References in corpus (4)

• Grin of the Cheshire cat: Entropy density of spacetime as a relic from quantum gravity
• Path integral duality modified propagators in spacetimes with constant curvature
• Summing over spacetime dimensions in quantum gravity
• Principle of Equivalence at Planck scales, QG in locally inertial frames and the zero-point-length of spacetime

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