PIRSA:22050065

Quantum Reference Frames for Superpositions of Spacetimes

de la Hamette, A. (2022). Quantum Reference Frames for Superpositions of Spacetimes. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/22050065

de la Hamette, Anne-Catherine. Quantum Reference Frames for Superpositions of Spacetimes. Perimeter Institute, May. 31, 2022, https://pirsa.org/22050065 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:22050065,
            doi = {10.48660/22050065},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/22050065},
            author = {de la Hamette, Anne-Catherine},
            keywords = {Quantum Foundations},
            language = {en},
            title = {Quantum Reference Frames for Superpositions of Spacetimes},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2022},
            month = {may},
            note = {PIRSA:22050065 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Anne-Catherine de la Hamette University of Vienna

DOI 10.48660/22050065
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series
Subject

Abstract

The current theories of quantum physics and general relativity on their own do not allow us to study situations in which spacetime is in a quantum superposition. In this talk, I propose a general strategy to determine the dynamics of objects on an indefinite spacetime metric, using an extended notion of quantum reference frame transformations. First, we study the situation of the gravitational source mass being in a spatial superposition state and, using a generalized principle of covariance, show how to transform to a frame in which the standard theories of GR and QFT allow to determine the dynamics. In the second part, we consider superpositions of conformally equivalent metrics inhabited by a massive quantized Klein-Gordon field. By requiring invariance of the KG equation under quantum conformal transformations, we find that the superposition is transferred to the quantum field in the form of an effective, spacetime dependent mass term. Overall, the proposed strategy allows to construct the respective explicit quantum frame change operators, and to study physical phenomena such as time dilation and cosmological particle production in different quantum frames.

Zoom Link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/96903859307?pwd=aEtLUy9tME5GL25nTjBVNXVmb2N3Zz09