Nonunitarity problem in quantum gravity corrections to quantum field theory with Born-Oppenheimer approximation

Federico Di Gioia, Giulia Maniccia, Giovanni Montani, and Jacopo Niedda
Phys. Rev. D 103, 103511 – Published 10 May 2021

Abstract

The problem of time is one of the most relevant open issues in canonical quantum gravity. Although there is a huge literature about this topic, a commonly accepted solution has not been found yet. Here, we focus on the semiclassical approach to the problem of time, that has the main goal of reproducing quantum field theory on a fixed Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) background accounting also for quantum gravity corrections. We analyze the different choices of the expansion parameter and discuss the problems arising in previous proposals, where a nonunitary evolution emerges as an effect of quantum gravity corrections. In this work, we develop a new approach to solve this problem by performing the WKB expansion with the introduction of the so-called kinematical action as a clock for quantum matter, that allows to recover a unitary dynamics.

  • Received 21 December 2019
  • Revised 9 February 2021
  • Accepted 19 March 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.103.103511

© 2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & AstrophysicsParticles & Fields

Authors & Affiliations

Federico Di Gioia1,*, Giulia Maniccia1,†, Giovanni Montani1,2,‡, and Jacopo Niedda1,§

  • 1Physics Department, “La Sapienza” University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
  • 2ENEA, C.R. Frascati (Rome), Italy Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati (Roma), Italy

  • *federico.digioia@uniroma1.it
  • giulia.maniccia@roma1.infn.it
  • giovanni.montani@enea.it
  • §jacopo.niedda@uniroma1.it

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Issue

Vol. 103, Iss. 10 — 15 May 2021

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