Thermal properties of spacetime foam

Luis J. Garay
Phys. Rev. D 58, 124015 – Published 17 November 1998
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Abstract

Spacetime foam can be modeled in terms of nonlocal effective interactions in a classical nonfluctuating background. Then, the density matrix for the low-energy fields evolves, in the weak-coupling approximation, according to a master equation that contains a diffusion term. Furthermore, it is argued that spacetime foam behaves as a quantum thermal field that, apart from inducing loss of coherence, gives rise to effects such as gravitational Lamb and Stark shifts as well as quantum damping in the evolution of the low-energy observables. These effects can be, at least in principle, experimentally tested.

  • Received 9 June 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.58.124015

©1998 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Luis J. Garay

  • Instituto de Matemáticas y Física Fundamental, CSIC, C/ Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid, Spain

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Issue

Vol. 58, Iss. 12 — 15 December 1998

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