Reducing space-time to binary information

Weinfurtner, Silke; De las Cuevas, Gemma; Martin-Delgado, Miguel Angel; Briegel, Hans J.

Abstract

We present a new description of discrete space-time in 1+1 dimensions in terms of a set of elementary geometrical units that represent its independent classical degrees of freedom. This is achieved by means of a binary encoding that is ergodic in the class of space-time manifolds respecting coordinate invariance of general relativity. Space-time fluctuations can be represented in a classical lattice gas model whose Boltzmann weights are constructed with the discretized form of the Einstein–Hilbert action. Within this framework, it is possible to compute basic quantities such as the Ricci curvature tensor and the Einstein equations, and to evaluate the path integral of discrete gravity. The description as a lattice gas model also provides a novel way of quantization and, at the same time, to quantum simulation of fluctuating space-time.

Citation

Weinfurtner, S., De las Cuevas, G., Martin-Delgado, M. A., & Briegel, H. J. (2014). Reducing space-time to binary information. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 47(9), Article 095301. https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8113/47/9/095301

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 28, 2014
• Publication Date: Feb 17, 2014
• Deposit Date: Feb 27, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 27, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical
• Print ISSN: 1751-8113
• Electronic ISSN: 1751-8121
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 47
• Issue: 9
• Article Number: 095301
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8113/47/9/095301
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/723101
• Publisher URL: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8113/47/9/095301/meta
• Additional Information: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication/published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at 10.1088/1751-8113/47/9/095301