PIRSA:20110056

The dynamics of difference

Smolin, L. (2020). The dynamics of difference. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/20110056

Smolin, Lee. The dynamics of difference. Perimeter Institute, Nov. 20, 2020, https://pirsa.org/20110056 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:20110056,
            doi = {10.48660/20110056},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/20110056},
            author = {Smolin, Lee},
            keywords = {Quantum Foundations},
            language = {en},
            title = {The dynamics of difference},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2020},
            month = {nov},
            note = {PIRSA:20110056 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Lee Smolin

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Talk number
PIRSA:20110056
Collection
Talk Type
Subject
Abstract

A proposal is made for a fundamental theory,  in which the history of the universe is constituted of views of itself.  Views are attributes of events, and the theory's only be-ables; they comprise information about energy and momentum transferred to an event from its causal past. 

 

The  theory is called the causal theory of views (CTV) and is a candidate for a completion of QM.  It is partly based on energetic causal sets (ECS),   an approach developed  with Marina Cortes.  A key result that applies also here is that spacetime is emergent from the ECS dynamics.  This implies that the fundamental dynamics involve no notion of space, distance or derivatives.  Instead I propose that a measure of similarity of views replaces derivatives as the basic measure of change and difference.

A measure of the diversity of views in a  causal network is introduced, called the variety (originally invented with Julian  Barbour).  I postulate a dynamics for CTV based on an action involving the variety and show that in an appropriate limit, it reduces to Schrodinger quantum mechanics.  A key result is that  the variety reduces to Bohm's quantum potential.

Based on arXiv:1307.6167,  arXiv:1308.2206 , arXiv:1712.0479 and a paper in preparation.