Causal functions in general relativity. II

It is shown that important space-time structure conditions of stable causality and strong causality are characterized in terms of causal functions.     

An Ontology of Nature with Local Causality,Parallel Lives,and Many Relative Worlds

Parallel lives (PL) is an ontological model of nature in which quantum mechanics and special relativity are unified in a single universe with a single space-time. Point-like objects called lives are the only fundamental objects in this space-time, and they propagate at or below c, and interact with one another only locally at point-like events in space-time, very much like classical point particles. Lives are not alive in any sense, nor do they possess consciousness or any agency to make decisions—they are simply point objects which encode memory at events in space-time. The only causes and effects in the universe occur when lives meet locally, and thus the causal structure of interaction events in space-time is Lorentz invariant. Each life traces a continuous world-line through space-time, and experiences its own relative world, fully defined by the outcomes of past events along its world-line (never superpositions), which are encoded in its external memory. A quantum field comprises a continuum of lives throughout space-time, and familiar physical systems like particles each comprise a sub-continuum of the lives of the field. Each life carries a hidden internal memory containing a local relative wavefunction, which is a local piece of a pure universal wavefunction, but it is the relative wavefunctions in the local memories throughout space-time which are physically real in PL, and not the universal wavefunction in configuration space. Furthermore, while the universal wavefunction tracks the average behavior of the lives of a system, it fails to track their individual dynamics and trajectories. There is always a preferred separable basis, and for an irreducible physical system, each orthogonal term in this basis is a different relative world—each containing some fraction of the lives of the system. The relative wavefunctions in the lives’ internal memories govern which lives of different systems can meet during future local interactions, and thereby enforce entanglement correlations—including Bell inequality violations. These, and many other details, are explored here, but several aspects of this framework are not yet fleshed out, and work is ongoing.     

Are Causality Violations Undesirable?

Causality violations are typically seen as unrealistic and undesirable features of a physical model. The following points out three reasons why causality violations, which Bonnor and Steadman identified even in solutions to the Einstein equation referring to ordinary laboratory situations, are not necessarily undesirable. First, a space-time in which every causal curve can be extended into a closed causal curve is singularity free—a necessary property of a globally applicable physical theory. Second, a causality-violating space-time exhibits a nontrivial topology—no closed timelike curve (CTC) can be homotopic among CTCs to a point, or that point would not be causally well behaved—and nontrivial topology has been explored as a model of particles. Finally, if every causal curve in a given space-time passes through an event horizon, a property which can be called “causal censorship”, then that space-time with event horizons excised would still be causally well behaved. In honor of the retirement from Davidson College of Dr. L. Richardson King, an extraordinary teacher and mathematician. An earlier version () was selected as co-winner of the CTC Essay Prize set by Queen Mary College, University of London. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and should not be attributed to the International Monetary Fund, its Executive Board, or its management. This paper was not prepared using official resources. Comments are appreciated from anonymous referees and from participants in seminars at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Davidson College.     

Two-cluster scattering ofN charged particles

We define geometrically two-cluster scattering states by their asymptotic space-time behavior. We show that these subspaces coincide with the ranges of the two-cluster wave operators, or modified wave operators if both clusters are charged. In particular this proves asymptotic completeness and absence of a singular continuous spectrum of the Hamiltonian below the lowest three-body threshold.     

The topology of geodesically complete space-times

Two theorems are given on the topology of geodesically complete space-times which satisfy the energy condition. Firstly, the condition that a compact embedded 3-manifold in space-time be dentless is defined in terms of causal structure. Then it is shown that a dentless 3-manifold must separate space-time, and that it must enclose a compact portion of space-time. Further, it is shown that if the dentless 3-manifold is homeomorphic toS ³ then the part of space-time that it encloses must be simply connected.     

Causality in non-Hausdorff space-times

Some general properties of completely separable, non-Hausdorff manifolds are studied and the notion of a non-Hausdorff space-time is introduced. It is shown that such a space-time must, under very general conditions, display a kind of causal anomaly.     

On the continuity of causal automorphisms of space-time

We prove that any causal automorphism of the (curved or not) space-time in any dimension is continuous.     

Topics on space-time topology

The orientability properties of space-times are analysed in detail using elementary algebraic methods. Time, space and charge orientability are discussed and various possible generalisations of charge orientability suggested. There is also a bundle-theoretic analysis of the first two topological properties together with a discussion of spinor-structures from the point of view of the Lorentz bundle of bases over a space-time. A section is devoted to some comments on the topologisation of certain space-times with topologies derived from their causal relations.     

Censorship,strong curvature,and asymptotic causal pathology

Necessary and sufficient conditions are established for a weakly asymptotically simple and empty, null convergent, generic space-time to be future asymptotically predictable. These conditions require that the causal structure of the space-time is well behaved near spatial infinity and future null infinity, and that there are no singularities of less than a certain finite strength in the future asymptotic limit.     

Critical comments on the discussion about tachyonic causal paradoxes and on the concept of superluminal reference frame

The discussions of the tachyonic causal paradoxes and the concept of superluminal reference frame are criticized. The essence of the construction of the known paradoxes is revealed. Some possibilities of eliminating these paradoxes without contradicting the theory of relativity, are discussed. The tachyonic causal loop in an arbitrarily dimensional flat space-time is formally defined. The logical relations between assumptions on existence (or nonexistence) of the tachyonic causal loops and of inertial reference frames preferred in the tachyon kinematics are given. Such frames are not preferred in relation to bradyons and luxons, and maybe are not preferred in the dynamics of the tachyons. The theorem is proved which shows that the discussion on the tachyonic causal loops concerns also the preferred frames. The operational definitions of spacelike, timelike, and null vectors are given. It is shown that superluminal transformations and reference frames do not exist inside the theory of relativity. It is also shown that the so-called superluminal Lorentz transformations are not in fact transformations but mappings. It is concluded that the existence of tachyonic phenomena is not contradictory to the theory of relativity, while the concept of usual superluminal reference frame is contradictory to that theory.     

A Proof of the Geroch–Horowitz–Penrose Formulation of the Strong Cosmic Censor Conjecture Motivated by Computability Theory

In this paper we present a proof of a mathematical version of the strong cosmic censor conjecture attributed to Geroch–Horowitz and Penrose but formulated explicitly by Wald. The proof is based on the existence of future-inextendible causal curves in causal pasts of events on the future Cauchy horizon in a non-globally hyperbolic space-time. By examining explicit non-globally hyperbolic space-times we find that in case of several physically relevant solutions these future-inextendible curves have in fact infinite length. This way we recognize a close relationship between asymptotically flat or anti-de Sitter, physically relevant extendible space-times and the so-called Malament–Hogarth space-times which play a central role in recent investigations in the theory of “gravitational computers”. This motivates us to exhibit a more sharp, more geometric formulation of the strong cosmic censor conjecture, namely “all physically relevant, asymptotically flat or anti-de Sitter but non-globally hyperbolic space-times are Malament–Hogarth ones”. Our observations may indicate a natural but hidden connection between the strong cosmic censorship scenario and the Church–Turing thesis revealing an unexpected conceptual depth beneath both conjectures.     

On the relation between causal structure and curvature

A space-time is both a Riemannian manifold and a causal space. These structures give restrictions on one another. In this paper we consider restrictions determined by the causal structure on the manifold's geometry. It is shown in particular that the conformai electric part of the curvature must satisfy interesting nonlocal conditions.     

Spatiotemporal and statistical symmetries

The notion of symmetries, either statistical or deterministic, can be useful for the characterization of complex systems and their bifurcations. In this paper, we investigate the connection between the (microscopic) spatiotemporal symmetries of a space-time functionu(x, t), on the one hand, and the (macroscopic) symmetries of statistical quantities such as the spatial (resp. temporal) two-point correlations and the spatial (resp. temporal) average, on the other hand. We show, how, under certain conditions, these symmetries are related to the symmetries of the orbits described byu(x, t) in the characteristic (phase) spaces. We also determine the largest group of spatiotemporal symmetries (in the sense introduced in our earlier work) satisfied by a given space-time functionu(x, t) and indicate how to extract the subgroups of point symmetries, namely those directly implemented on the space and time variables. Conversely, we determine all the functions invariant by a given space-time symmetry group. Finally, we illustrate all the previous points with specific examples.     

Bounded region with closed time-like curves in T-dual pp-waves backgrounds

In the 10-dimensional pp-waves background we have found using T-duality a 4-dimensional space-time in which closed time-like curves appear in the region bounded by two coaxial elliptic cylinders. This 4-dimensional space-time is similar to the Gödel-type space-time only in this region. Outside of this region the causal pathology does not appear.     

Global spinor fields in space-time

This paper is concerned with space-time manifolds that are space- and time-oriented, causal, and possess spinor structures. Five propositions are proven: (1) If a connected, space- and time-oriented manifold is simply con-nected, then it is non-compact; (2) If such a manifold is simply connected, it admits a spinor structure, which, moreover, is unique; (3) If the space-like section of M is compact, then there exists a global system of orthonormal tetrads on M; (4) The necessary and sufficient condition for every space-time M whose space-like section is compact to admit a spinor structure is that M have a global system of orthonormal tetrads; (5) Every space-time M which can be imbedded in R⁶ admits a spinor structure. It is further suggested that in view of the fact that the existence of a spinor structure is related to homotopy properties, space-time manifolds may be classified in terms of their homotopy groups _i (M), i=1,2, 3,4. In a concluding section, some avenues for future research are discussed.Supported by the National Science Foundation.     

Space-Time Topology (II)—Causality, the Fourth Stiefel–Whitney Class and Space-Time as a Boundary

We show that stable causality is related to the vanishing of the top Stiefel–Whitney class of a space-time manifold M, and that if M is a stably causal space-time manifold, then it is the boundary of a five-dimensional space-time. We then propose a scheme for making it both a necessary and sufficient condition.     

Foliation analysis of gravitation singularities

Gravitation singularities are examined as singularities of space-time foliations which represent critical points of real functions on a space-time.     

Hadron spectroscopy and structure from AdS/CFT

The AdS/CFT correspondence between conformal field theory and string states in an extended space-time has provided new insights into not only hadron spectra, but also their light-front wave functions. We show that there is an exact correspondence between the fifth-dimensional coordinate of anti-de Sitter space z and a specific impact variable ζ which measures the separation of the constituents within the hadron in ordinary space-time. This connection allows one to predict the form of the light-front wave functions of mesons and baryons, the fundamental entities which encode hadron properties and scattering amplitudes. A new relativistic Schr?dinger light-front equation is found which reproduces the results obtained using the fifth-dimensional theory. Since they are complete and orthonormal, the AdS/CFT model wave functions can be used as an initial ansatz for a variational treatment or as a basis for the diagonalization of the light-front QCD Hamiltonian. A number of applications of light-front wave functions are also discussed.