Three-space as a quantum hyper-layer in 1+3 dimensions

Abstract

We discuss a formalism where a universe is identified with the support of a wave function propagating through space-time. As opposed to classical cosmology, the resulting universe is not a spacelike section of some space-time, but a hyper-layer of a finite timelike width, a set which is not a three-dimensional submanifold of space-time. We test the formalism on the example of a universe that contains a single harmonic oscillator (a generalization of the curvature-dependent Cariñena-Rañada-Santander (CRS) model). As opposed to the original CRS formulation, here the curvature is not a parameter but a quantum observable, a function of the world-position operator. It is shown that asymptotically, for large values of the invariant evolution parameter $\tau$, one reconstructs the standard quantum results, with one modifiication: The effective (renormalized) mass of the oscillator decreases with $\tau$. The effect does not seem to be a peculiarity of harmonic oscillators, so one may speculate that masses of distant elementary quantum systems are greater from their values known from our quantum mechanical measurements.

arXiv commentA sequel to M. Czachor, "Cosmic-time quantum mechanics and the passage-of-time problem", Universe 9, 188 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/universe9040188

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