Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime
We here conjecture that two much-studied aspects of quantum gravity, dimensional flow and spacetime fuzziness, might be deeply connected. We illustrate the mechanism, providing first evidence in support of our conjecture, by working within the framework of multifractional theories, whose key assumpt...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2017-11-01
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| Series: | Physics Letters B |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269317308444 |
| _version_ | 1818344325578227712 |
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| author | Giovanni Amelino-Camelia Gianluca Calcagni Michele Ronco |
| author_facet | Giovanni Amelino-Camelia Gianluca Calcagni Michele Ronco |
| author_sort | Giovanni Amelino-Camelia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We here conjecture that two much-studied aspects of quantum gravity, dimensional flow and spacetime fuzziness, might be deeply connected. We illustrate the mechanism, providing first evidence in support of our conjecture, by working within the framework of multifractional theories, whose key assumption is an anomalous scaling of the spacetime dimension in the ultraviolet and a slow change of the dimension in the infrared. This sole ingredient is enough to produce a scale-dependent deformation of the integration measure with also a fuzzy spacetime structure. We also compare the multifractional correction to lengths with the types of Planckian uncertainty for distance and time measurements that was reported in studies combining quantum mechanics and general relativity heuristically. This allows us to fix two free parameters of the theory and leads, in one of the scenarios we contemplate, to a value of the ultraviolet dimension which had already found support in other quantum-gravity analyses. We also formalize a picture such that fuzziness originates from a fundamental discrete scale invariance at short scales and corresponds to a stochastic spacetime geometry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:44:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8a1108363d8749aab86da39d0ec8ecaf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0370-2693 1873-2445 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:44:41Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physics Letters B |
| spelling | doaj.art-8a1108363d8749aab86da39d0ec8ecaf2022-12-21T23:38:12ZengElsevierPhysics Letters B0370-26931873-24452017-11-01774C63063410.1016/j.physletb.2017.10.032Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetimeGiovanni Amelino-Camelia0Gianluca Calcagni1Michele Ronco2Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, ItalyInstituto de Estructura de la Materia, CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid, SpainDipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, ItalyWe here conjecture that two much-studied aspects of quantum gravity, dimensional flow and spacetime fuzziness, might be deeply connected. We illustrate the mechanism, providing first evidence in support of our conjecture, by working within the framework of multifractional theories, whose key assumption is an anomalous scaling of the spacetime dimension in the ultraviolet and a slow change of the dimension in the infrared. This sole ingredient is enough to produce a scale-dependent deformation of the integration measure with also a fuzzy spacetime structure. We also compare the multifractional correction to lengths with the types of Planckian uncertainty for distance and time measurements that was reported in studies combining quantum mechanics and general relativity heuristically. This allows us to fix two free parameters of the theory and leads, in one of the scenarios we contemplate, to a value of the ultraviolet dimension which had already found support in other quantum-gravity analyses. We also formalize a picture such that fuzziness originates from a fundamental discrete scale invariance at short scales and corresponds to a stochastic spacetime geometry.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269317308444 |
| spellingShingle | Giovanni Amelino-Camelia Gianluca Calcagni Michele Ronco Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime Physics Letters B |
| title | Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime |
| title_full | Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime |
| title_fullStr | Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime |
| title_full_unstemmed | Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime |
| title_short | Imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime |
| title_sort | imprint of quantum gravity in the dimension and fabric of spacetime |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269317308444 |
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