The Paradox of Virtual Dipoles in the Einstein Action

Abstract

The functional integral of pure Einstein 4D quantum gravity admits abnormally large and long-lasting "dipolar fluctuations", generated by virtual sources with the property Int d^4x Sqrt{g(x)} Tr T(x) = 0. These fluctuations would exist also at macroscopic scales, with paradoxical consequences. We set out their general features and give numerical estimates of possible suppression processes.

arXiv commentLaTeX, 5 pages; reference added

References in corpus (13)

• Averaged Energy Conditions and Quantum Inequalities
• An interferometric gravitational wave detector as a quantum-gravity apparatus
• Restrictions on Negative Energy Density in Flat Spacetime
• A Microscopic Recoil Model for Light-Cone Fluctuations in Quantum Gravity
• Large quantum gravity effects: Unexpected limitations of the classical theory
• On the detectability of quantum spacetime foam with gravitational-wave interferometers
• Large quantum gravity effects: backreaction on matter
• On the Salecker-Wigner limit and the use of interferometers in space-time-foam studies
• Virtual dipoles and large fluctuations in quantum gravity
• Large quantum gravity effects and nonlocal variables
• Stability Issues in Euclidean Quantum Gravity
• Effects related to spacetime foam in particle physics
• Large "Dipolar" Vacuum Fluctuations in Quantum Gravity

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Interaction between macroscopic quantum systems and gravity
• The vacuum state of quantum gravity contains large virtual masses
• Quantum metrics with very low action in $R+R^2$ gravity
• Ultra-light and strong: the massless harmonic oscillator and its singular path integral
• Metrics with zero and almost-zero Einstein action in quantum gravity
• The dipolar zero-modes of Einstein action: An informal summary with some new issues