Gao, Shan (2025) Spacetime's Gauge Reality: Testing Loop Quantum Gravity with the AB Effect. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The gravitational Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect, where quantum particles acquire phase shifts in curvature-free regions due to a gauge-fixed metric perturbation $ h_{\mu\nu} $, highlights the intriguing gauge dependence of spacetime. This study explores whether Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG), which views spacetime as emerging from SU(2)- and diffeomorphism-invariant spin networks, can accommodate this effect. The AB effect suggests that LQG should incorporate gauge dependence at the quantum level, which appears challenging within its relational, gauge-invariant framework. Potential modifications to LQG, such as introducing gauge-fixing constraints or effective fields, may require assumptions aligned with substantivalism, potentially diverging from its emergent paradigm. These results invite a thoughtful reconsideration of spacetime’s ontological status, encouraging a dialogue between relational and substantivalist perspectives in quantum gravity.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Gao, Shan sgao7319@uni.sydney.edu.au
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	Prof. Shan Gao
Date Deposited:	29 Apr 2025 12:03
Last Modified:	29 Apr 2025 12:03
Item ID:	25203
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	29 April 2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25203

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