6533b86cfe1ef96bd12c8d56
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Is empty spacetime a physical thing?
Markku LehtoDiego Meschinisubject
PhysicsTheoretical physicsGeneral Relativity and Quantum CosmologyPhysics::General PhysicsSpacetimeGeneral relativityPhysical realityFOS: Physical sciencesGeneral Physics and AstronomyObservableGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)DiffeomorphismGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmologydescription
This article deals with empty spacetime and the question of its physical reality. By "empty spacetime" we mean a collection of bare spacetime points, the remains of ridding spacetime of all matter and fields. We ask whether these geometric objects--themselves intrinsic to the concept of field--might be observable through some physical test. By taking quantum-mechanical notions into account, we challenge the negative conclusion drawn from the diffeomorphism invariance postulate of general relativity, and we propose new foundational ideas regarding the possible observation--as well as conceptual overthrow--of this geometric ether.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06-11 |