Emergent time and more from wavefunction collapse in general relativity

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2510.20207v1
• Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2025 04:48:28 GMT
• Title: Emergent time and more from wavefunction collapse in general relativity
• Authors: Sung-Sik Lee,
• Abstract summary: We further develop a recently proposed theory of time based on wavefunction collapse in general relativity.<n>It is based on the postulations that quantum states violate the momentum and Hamiltonian constraints.<n>These are demonstrated for the cosmological constant-dominated universe through semi-classical and adiabatic approximations.
• Score: 1.066048003460524
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: In this paper, we further develop a recently proposed theory of time based on wavefunction collapse in general relativity. It is based on the postulations that quantum states, which violate the momentum and Hamiltonian constraints, represent instances of time, and stochastic fluctuations of the lapse and shift generate the time evolution under which an initial state gradually collapses toward a diffeomorphism-invariant state. Under the wavefunction collapse, the scale factor monotonically increases, thus acting as a clock. The scalar, vector, and tensor gravitons arise as physical excitations, and the arrow of time for their evolution is set by the initial state. In the long-time limit, the tensor gravitons exhibit emergent unitary dynamics. However, the extra modes are strongly damped due to the non-unitary dynamics that suppress the constraint-violating excitations. The vector mode is uniformly suppressed over all length scales, but the decay rate of the scalar is proportional to its wave vector. This makes the latter a viable candidate for dark matter; excitations with large wavelengths survive over long periods, contributing to long-range interactions, while the fast decay of short-wavelength modes renders them undetectable without sufficient temporal resolution. These are demonstrated for the cosmological constant-dominated universe through semi-classical and adiabatic approximations, which are controlled in the limit of large space dimension.

Related papers

• Spontaneous wave function collapse from non-local gravitational self-energy [0.0]
  We show that spacetime has an intrinsic non-locality, rendering the standard linear superposition principle only an approximation valid in the absence of gravitational effects.<n>We then invert the logic by assuming the validity of linear superposition and demonstrate that such superpositions inevitably become unstable once gravity is included.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-12-17T12:45:35Z)
• Time Symmetry, Retrocausality, and Emergent Collapse: The Tlalpan Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics [51.56484100374058]
  The Tlalpan Interpretation (QTI) proposes that the wavefunction collapse is not a primitive, axiomatic rule but an emergent phenomenon.<n>The novelty of QTI lies in its embedding of collapse within the conceptual language of critical phenomena in statistical physics.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-08-25T20:30:56Z)
• Wave turbulence in driven dipolar gases [0.0]
  The nonequilibrium turbulent response of driven three-dimensional dipolar gases is monitored by dynamically crossing the supersolid-to-superfluid phase transition. We observe that supersolidity sustaining higher-lying momenta, associated with the roton minimum, promotes the emergence of turbulence.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-10-18T02:33:34Z)
• Real-time dynamics of false vacuum decay [49.1574468325115]
  We investigate false vacuum decay of a relativistic scalar field in the metastable minimum of an asymmetric double-well potential. We employ the non-perturbative framework of the two-particle irreducible (2PI) quantum effective action at next-to-leading order in a large-N expansion.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-06T12:44:48Z)
• On the Decoherence of Primordial Gravitons [3.9694334747397484]
  primordial scalar curvature and tensor perturbations, $zeta$ and $gamma_ij$, are conserved on super-horizon scales in minimal inflation models. Their wave functional has a rapidly oscillating phase which is slow-roll unsuppressed. Our results put a stronger lower bound of decoherence effect to the recent proposals probing squeezed primordial gravitons.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-05-14T05:03:21Z)
• Exact universal bounds on quantum dynamics and fast scrambling [0.0]
  We show that the spectral form factor sets a universal state-independent bound on the quantum dynamics of a complete set of initial states over arbitrarily long times. We use this result to constrain the scrambling of information in interacting many-body systems.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-12-28T18:47:20Z)
• Quantum time dilation in a gravitational field [39.58317527488534]
  We investigate how the superposition principle affects the gravitational time dilation observed by a simple clock. We show that the emission rate of an atom prepared in a coherent superposition of separated wave packets in a gravitational field is different from the emission rate of an atom in a classical mixture of these packets.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-04-22T10:02:21Z)
• Wave Functional of the Universe and Time [62.997667081978825]
  A version of the quantum theory of gravity based on the concept of the wave functional of the universe is proposed. The history of the evolution of the universe is described in terms of coordinate time together with arbitrary lapse and shift functions.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-10-18T09:41:59Z)
• Analog cosmological reheating in an ultracold Bose gas [58.720142291102135]
  We quantum-simulate the reheating-like dynamics of a generic cosmological single-field model in an ultracold Bose gas. Expanding spacetime as well as the background oscillating inflaton field are mimicked in the non-relativistic limit. The proposed experiment has the potential of exploring the evolution up to late times even beyond the weak coupling regime.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-08-05T18:00:26Z)
• Zitterbewegung and Klein-tunneling phenomena for transient quantum waves [77.34726150561087]
  We show that the Zitterbewegung effect manifests itself as a series of quantum beats of the particle density in the long-time limit. We also find a time-domain where the particle density of the point source is governed by the propagation of a main wavefront. The relative positions of these wavefronts are used to investigate the time-delay of quantum waves in the Klein-tunneling regime.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-03-09T21:27:02Z)
• Non-trivial time crystal-like ground state for gravitational perturbation in quadratic gravity [0.0]
  We consider gravitational perturbation around maximally symmetric background of a theory of gravity involving quadratic curvature correction. A non-trivial condensate-like ground state describe the spacetime fabric itself by introducing fundamental scales in the theory.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-01-14T09:29:48Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.