Strings, world-sheet covariant quantization and Bohmian mechanics

The covariant canonical method of quantization based on the De Donder–Weyl covariant canonical formalism is used to formulate a world-sheet covariant quantization of bosonic strings. To provide the consistency with the standard non-covariant canonical quantization, it is necessary to adopt a Bohmian deterministic hidden-variable equation of motion. In this way, string theory suggests a solution to the problem of measurement in quantum mechanics. PACS 11.25.-w; 04.60.Ds; 03.65.Ta     

A Spin-Statistics Theorem for Quantum Fields¶on Curved Spacetime Manifolds¶in a Generally Covariant Framework

A model-independent, locally generally covariant formulation of quantum field theory over four-dimensional, globally hyperbolic spacetimes will be given which generalizes similar, previous approaches. Here, a generally covariant quantum field theory is an assignment of quantum fields to globally hyperbolic spacetimes with spin-structure where each quantum field propagates on the spacetime to which it is assigned. Imposing very natural conditions such as local general covariance, existence of a causal dynamical law, fixed spinor- or tensor type for all quantum fields of the theory, and that the quantum field on Minkowski spacetime satisfies the usual conditions, it will be shown that a spin-statistics theorem holds: If for some of the spacetimes the corresponding quantum field obeys the “wrong” connection between spin and statistics, then all quantum fields of the theory, on each spacetime, are trivial. Received: 1 March 2001 / Accepted: 28 May 2001     

Toward a Finite-Dimensional Formulation of Quantum Field Theory

Rules of quantization and equations of motion for a finite-dimensional formulation of quantum field theory are proposed which fulfill the following properties: (a) Both the rules of quantization and the equations of motion are covariant; (b) the equations of evolution are second order in derivatives and first order in derivatives of the spacetime coordinates; and (c) these rules of quantization and equations of motion lead to the usual (canonical) rules of quantization and the (Schrödinger) equation of motion of quantum mechanics in the particular case of mechanical systems. We also comment briefly on further steps to fully develop a satisfactory quantum field theory and the difficuties which may be encountered when doing so.     

Axiomatic Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime

The usual formulations of quantum field theory in Minkowski spacetime make crucial use of features—such as Poincaré invariance and the existence of a preferred vacuum state—that are very special to Minkowski spacetime. In order to generalize the formulation of quantum field theory to arbitrary globally hyperbolic curved spacetimes, it is essential that the theory be formulated in an entirely local and covariant manner, without assuming the presence of a preferred state. We propose a new framework for quantum field theory, in which the existence of an Operator Product Expansion (OPE) is elevated to a fundamental status, and, in essence, all of the properties of the quantum field theory are determined by its OPE. We provide general axioms for the OPE coefficients of a quantum field theory. These include a local and covariance assumption (implying that the quantum field theory is constructed in a local and covariant manner from the spacetime metric and other background structure, such as time and space orientations), a microlocal spectrum condition, an “associativity” condition, and the requirement that the coefficient of the identity in the OPE of the product of a field with its adjoint have positive scaling degree. We prove curved spacetime versions of the spin-statistics theorem and the PCT theorem. Some potentially significant further implications of our new viewpoint on quantum field theory are discussed.     

Generally covariant quantization and the Dirac field

Canonical Hamiltonian field theory in curved spacetime is formulated in a manifestly covariant way. Second quantization is achieved invoking a correspondence principle between the Poisson bracket of classical fields and the commutator of the corresponding quantum operators. The Dirac theory is investigated and it is shown that, in contrast to the case of bosonic fields, in curved spacetime, the field momentum does not coincide with the generators of spacetime translations. The reason is traced back to the presence of second class constraints occurring in Dirac theory. Further, it is shown that the modification of the Dirac Lagrangian by a surface term leads to a momentum transfer between the Dirac field and the gravitational background field, resulting in a theory that is free of constraints, but not manifestly hermitian.     

De Donder-Weyl theory and a hypercomplex extension of quantum mechanics to field theory

A quantization of field theory based on the De Donder-Weyl (DW) covariant Hamiltonian formulation is discussed. A hypercomplex extension of quantum mechanics, in which the space-time Clifford algebra replaces that of the complex numbers, appears as a result of quantization of Poisson brackets on differential forms which were put forward for the DW theory earlier. The proposed covariant hypercomplex Schrödinger equation is shown to lead in the classical limit to the DW Hamilton-Jacobi equation and to obey the Ehrenfest principle in the sense that the DW canonical field equations are satisfied for expectation values of properly chosen operators.     

On the general covariance and strong equivalence principles in quantum general relativity

The various physical aspects of the general relativistic principles of covariance and strong equivalence are discussed, and their mathematical formulations are analyzed. All these aspects are shown to be present in classical general relativity, although no contemporary formulation of canonical or covariant quantum gravity has succeeded to incorporate them all. This has, in part, motivated the recent introduction of a geometro-stochastic framework for quantum general relativity, in which the classical frame bundles that underlie the formulation of parallel transport in classical general relativity are replaced by quantum frame bundles. It is shown that quantum frames can take over the role played by complete sets of observables in conventional quantum theory, so that they can mediate the natural transference of the general covariance and the strong equivalence principles from the classical to the quantum general relativistic regime. This results in a geometrostochastic mode of quantum propagation in general relativistic quantum bundles, which is mathematically implemented by path integration methods based on parallel transport along horizontal lifts of geodesics for the vacuum expectation values of a quantum gravitational field in a quantum spacetime supermanifold. The covariance features of this field are embedded in a quantum gravitational supergroup, which incorporates Poincaré as well as diffeomorphism invariance, and resolves the issue of time in quantum gravity.     

Midisuperspace Models of Canonical Quantum Gravity

A midisuperspace model is a field theoryobtained by symmetry reduction of a parent gravitationaltheory. Such models have proven useful for exploring theclassical and quantum dynamics of the gravitational field. I present three recent classes ofresults pertinent to canonical quantization of vacuumgeneral relativity in the context of midisuperspacemodels. (1) I give necessary and sufficient conditions such that a given symmetry reduction can beperformed at the level of the Lagrangian or Hamiltonian.(2) I discuss the Hamiltonian formulation of modelsbased upon cylindrical and toroidal symmetry. In particular, I explain how these models can beidentified with parametrized field theories of wavemaps; thus a natural strategy for canonical quantizationis available. (3) The quantization of a parametrized field theory, such as the midisuperspace modelsconsidered in (2), requires construction of a quantumfield theory on a fixed (flat) spacetime that allows fortime evolution along arbitrary foliations of spacetime. I discuss some recent results on thepossibility of finding such a quantum fieldtheory.     

On general properties of Lorentz-invariant formulation of noncommutative quantum field theory

We study general properties of certain Lorentz-invariant noncommutative quantum field theories proposed in the literature. We show that causality in those theories does not hold, in contrast to the canonical noncommutative field theory with the light-wedge causality condition. This is the consequence of the infinite nonlocality of the theory getting spread in all spacetime directions. We also show that the time-ordered perturbation theory arising from the Hamiltonian formulation of noncommutative quantum field theories remains inequivalent to the covariant perturbation theory with usual Feynman rules even after restoration of Lorentz symmetry.     

Higher-Order Kinetic Term for Controlling Photon Mass in Off-Shell Electrodynamics

In relativistic classical and quantum mechanics with Poincaré-invariant parameter, particle worldlines are traced out by the evolution of spacetime events. The formulation of a covariant canonical framework for the evolving events leads to a dynamical theory in which mass conservation is demoted from a priori constraint to the status of conserved Noether current for a certain class of interactions. In pre-Maxwell electrodynamics—the local gauge theory associated with this framework —events induce five local off-shell fields, which mediate interactions between instantaneous events, not between the worldlines which represent entire particle histories. The fifth field, required to compensate for dependence of gauge transformations on the evolution parameter, enables the exchange of mass between particles and fields. In the equilibrium limit, these pre-Maxwell fields are pushed onto the zero-mass shell, but during interactions there is no mechanism regulating the mass that photons may acquire, even when event trajectories evolve far into the spacelike region. This feature of the off-shell formalism requires the application of some ad hoc mechanism for controlling the photon mass in two opposite physical domains: the low energy motion of a charged event in classical Coulomb scattering, and the renormalization of off-shell quantum electrodynamics. In this paper, we discuss a nonlocal, higher derivative correction to the photon kinetic term, which provides regulation of the photon mass in a manner which preserves the gauge invariance and Poincaré covariance of the original theory. We demonstrate that the inclusion of this term is equivalent to an earlier solution to the classical Coulomb problem, and that the resulting quantum field theory is renormalized.     

Covariant canonical quantization

We present a manifestly covariant quantization procedure based on the de Donder–Weyl Hamiltonian formulation of classical field theory. This procedure agrees with conventional canonical quantization only if the parameter space is d=1 dimensional time. In d>1 quantization requires a fundamental length scale, and any bosonic field generates a spinorial wave function, leading to the purely quantum-theoretical emergence of spinors as a byproduct. We provide a probabilistic interpretation of the wave functions for the fields, and we apply the formalism to a number of simple examples. These show that covariant canonical quantization produces both the Klein–Gordon and the Dirac equation, while also predicting the existence of discrete towers of identically charged fermions with different masses. Covariant canonical quantization can thus be understood as a “first” or pre-quantization within the framework of conventional QFT. PACS 04.62.+v; 11.10.Ef; 12.10.Kt     

Polarized vector bosons on the de Sitter expanding universe

The quantum theory of the vector field minimally coupled to the gravity of the de Sitter spacetime is built in a canonical manner starting with a new complete set of quantum modes of given momentum and helicity derived in the moving chart of conformal time. It is shown that the canonical quantization leads to new vector propagators which satisfy similar equations as the propagators derived by Tsamis and Woodard (J Math Phys 48:052306, 2007) but having a different structure. The one-particle operators are also written down pointing out that their properties are similar with those found already in the quantum theory of the scalar, Dirac and Maxwell free fields.     

Covariant description of Hamiltonian form for field dynamics

Hamiltonian form of field dynamics is developed on a space-like hypersurface in space-time. A covariant Poisson bracket on the space-like hypersurface is defined and it plays a key role to describe every algebraic relation into a covariant form. It is shown that the Poisson bracket has the same symplectic structure that was brought in the covariant symplectic approach. An identity invariant under the canonical transformations is obtained. The identity follows a canonical equation in which the interaction Hamiltonian density generates a deformation of the space-like hypersurface. The equation just corresponds to the Yang-Feldman equation in the Heisenberg pictures in quantum field theory. By converting the covariant Poisson bracket on the space-like hypersurface to four-dimensional commutator, we can pass over to quantum field theory in the Heisenberg picture without spoiling the explicit relativistic covariance. As an example the canonical QCD is displayed in a covariant way on a space-like hypersurface.     

Quantum Gravity,Information Theory and the CMB

We review connections between the metric of spacetime and the quantum fluctuations of fields. We start with the finding that the spacetime metric can be expressed entirely in terms of the 2-point correlator of the fluctuations of quantum fields. We then discuss the open question whether the knowledge of only the spectra of the quantum fluctuations of fields also suffices to determine the spacetime metric. This question is of interest because spectra are geometric invariants and their quantization would, therefore, have the benefit of not requiring the modding out of diffeomorphisms. Further, we discuss the fact that spacetime at the Planck scale need not necessarily be either discrete or continuous. Instead, results from information theory show that spacetime may be simultaneously discrete and continuous in the same way that information can. Finally, we review the recent finding that a covariant natural ultraviolet cutoff at the Planck scale implies a signature in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) that may become observable.     

Linking covariant and canonical general relativity via local observers

Hamiltonian gravity, relying on arbitrary choices of ‘space,’ can obscure spacetime symmetries. We present an alternative, manifestly spacetime covariant formulation that nonetheless distinguishes between ‘spatial’ and ‘temporal’ variables. The key is viewing dynamical fields from the perspective of a field of observers—a unit timelike vector field that also transforms under local Lorentz transformations. On one hand, all fields are spacetime fields, covariant under spacetime symmeties. On the other, when the observer field is normal to a spatial foliation, the fields automatically fall into Hamiltonian form, recovering the Ashtekar formulation. We argue this provides a bridge between Ashtekar variables and covariant phase space methods. We also outline a framework where the ‘space of observers’ is fundamental, and spacetime geometry itself may be observer-dependent.     

Quantum field theory in curved spacetime,the operator product expansion,and dark energy

To make sense of quantum field theory in an arbitrary (globally hyperbolic) curved spacetime, the theory must be formulated in a local and covariant manner in terms of locally measurable field observables. Since a generic curved spacetime does not possess symmetries or a unique notion of a vacuum state, the theory also must be formulated in a manner that does not require symmetries or a preferred notion of a “vacuum state” and “particles”. We propose such a formulation of quantum field theory, wherein the operator product expansion (OPE) of the quantum fields is elevated to a fundamental status, and the quantum field theory is viewed as being defined by its OPE. Since the OPE coefficients may be better behaved than any quantities having to do with states, we suggest that it may be possible to perturbatively construct the OPE coefficients—and, thus, the quantum field theory. By contrast, ground/vacuum states—in spacetimes, such as Minkowski spacetime, where they may be defined—cannot vary analytically with the parameters of the theory. We argue that this implies that composite fields may acquire nonvanishing vacuum state expectation values due to nonperturbative effects. We speculate that this could account for the existence of a nonvanishing vacuum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor of a quantum field occurring at a scale much smaller than the natural scales of the theory. Fourth Award in the 2008 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation.     

Vertex calculation for a composite particle

The classical treatment and the quantization of composite relativistic systems is given a manifestly covariant formulation in presence of constraints. A particular formulation of Feynman's quantum mechanics is used to treat the scattering of composite relativistic systems. A covariant harmonic oscillator model is employed to calculate vertices of interactions: the results are similar to the corresponding ones in the usual field theories, but the presence of some convergence factors gives hope that a theory with composite particles may be finite.     

Covariant Canonical Formalism of Fields

The canonical formalism of fields consistentwith the covariance principle of special relativity isgiven here. The covariant canonical transformations offields are affected by 4-generating functions. All dynamical equations of fields, e.g., theHamilton, Euler–Lagrange, and other fieldequations, are preserved under the covariant canonicaltransformations. The dynamical observables are alsoinvariant under these transformations. The covariantcanonical transformations are therefore fundamentalsymmetry operations on fields, such that the physicaloutcomes of each field theory must be invariant under these transformations. We give here also thecovariant canonical equations of fields. These equationsare the covariant versions of the Hamilton equations.They are defined by a density functional that is scalar under both the Lorentz and thecovariant canonical transformations of fields.     

One-loop approximation of Møller scattering in generalized Krein-space quantization

It has been shown that the negative-norm states necessarily appear in a covariant quantization of the free minimally coupled scalar field in de Sitter spacetime. In this processes ultraviolet and infrared divergences have been automatically eliminated. A natural renormalization of the one-loop interacting quantum field in Minkowski spacetime (λφ ⁴) has been achieved through the consideration of the negative-norm states defined in Krein space. It has been shown that the combination of quantum field theory in Krein space together with consideration of quantum metric fluctuation, results in quantum field theory without any divergences. Pursuing this approach, we express Wick’s theorem and calculate Møller scattering in the one-loop approximation in generalized Krein space. The mathematical consequence of this method is the disappearance of the ultraviolet divergence in the one-loop approximation.