Jacobs, Caspar (2025) Does Quantum Gravity Happen at the Planck Scale? [Preprint]

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Abstract

The claim that at the so-called Planck scale our current physics breaks down and a new theory of quantum gravity is required is ubiquitous, but the evidence is shakier than the confidence of those assertions warrants. In this paper, I survey five arguments in favour of this claim - based on dimensional analysis, quantum black holes, generalised uncertainty principles, the nonrenormalisability of quantum gravity, and theories beyond the standard model - but find that none of them succeeds. The argument from nonrenormalisability is the most convincing, yet it requires the unwarranted assumption that the same constant of action occurs in every quantum field theory. Therefore, our theories don't (yet) predict that quantum gravity happens at the Planck scale.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Jacobs, Caspar c.a.jacobs@phil.leidenuniv.nl 0000-0001-6903-0468
Keywords:	Planck scale, Planck units, quantum gravity, effective field theory, renormalization, string theory, constants
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity
Depositing User:	Caspar Jacobs
Date Deposited:	13 Jan 2025 13:43
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2025 13:43
Item ID:	24546
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity
Date:	2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24546

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