Open AccessFoundational Issues Relating Spacetime, Matter, and Quantum Mechanics
Author(s) -
George Ellis
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1275/1/012001
Subject(s) - spacetime , theoretical physics , quantum gravity , causal sets , causation , quantum spacetime , problem of time , arrow of time , physics , quantum cosmology , loop quantum gravity , classical mechanics , quantum field theory in curved spacetime , epistemology , quantum , quantum mechanics , philosophy
This article proposes the following themes: 1. Space time must be discrete at the micro level. 2. Holonomy is central to any foundational approach to relating spacetime and quantum mechanics. 3. The gravitational field equations should be trace free: gravity is essentially a conformal theory. 4. Times passes; past, present, and future are fundamentally different. 5. Causation is not only bottom-up: contextual effects occur, associated with symmetry breaking 6. Theories must adequately take account of the quantum measurement issue 7. Penrose’s entropy issue is a real issue for cosmology that must be taken into account.