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Reflections on the information paradigm in quantum and gravitational physics

Hoehn, Philipp (2017) Reflections on the information paradigm in quantum and gravitational physics. [Preprint]

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Abstract

We reflect on the information paradigm in quantum and gravitational physics and on how it may assist us in approaching quantum gravity. We begin by arguing, using a reconstruction of its formalism, that quantum theory can be regarded as a universal framework governing an observer's acquisition of information from physical systems taken as information carriers. We continue by observing that the structure of spacetime is encoded in the communication relations among observers and more generally the information flow in spacetime. Combining these insights with an information-theoretic Machian view, we argue that the quantum architecture of spacetime can operationally be viewed as a locally finite network of degrees of freedom exchanging information. An advantage -- and simultaneous limitation -- of an informational perspective is its quasi-universality, i.e. quasi-independence of the precise physical incarnation of the underlying degrees of freedom.
This suggests to exploit these informational insights to develop a largely microphysics independent top-down approach to quantum gravity to complement extant bottom-up approaches by closing the scale gap between the unknown Planck scale physics and the familiar physics of quantum (field) theory and general relativity systematically from two sides. While some ideas have been pronounced before in similar guise and others are speculative, the way they are strung together and justified is new and supports approaches attempting to derive emergent spacetime structures from correlations of quantum degrees of freedom.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Hoehn, PhilippA0000-0001-7108-1184
Additional Information: 23 pages, invited contribution to the proceedings of DICE 2016, Castiglioncello
Keywords: information paradigm, emergence of spacetime, quantum theory, general relativity, quantum gravity, Mach's principle, reconstruction of quantum theory, causality, information-theoretic approaches
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Condensed Matter
Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
General Issues > Laws of Nature
General Issues > Operationalism/Instrumentalism
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
General Issues > Structure of Theories
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
General Issues > Theory/Observation
Depositing User: Dr. Philipp A Hoehn
Date Deposited: 22 Jun 2017 13:14
Last Modified: 22 Jun 2017 13:14
Item ID: 13146
Official URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.06882
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Condensed Matter
Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
General Issues > Laws of Nature
General Issues > Operationalism/Instrumentalism
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
General Issues > Structure of Theories
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
General Issues > Theory/Observation
Date: 22 June 2017
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13146

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