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Space-time as a causal set

1987; American Physical Society; Volume: 59; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1103/physrevlett.59.521

1092-0145

L. Bombelli, Joohan Lee, David Meyer, Rafael D. Sorkin,

Quantum Mechanics and Applications

We propose that space-time at the smallest scales is in reality a causal set: a locally finite set of elements endowed with a partial order corresponding to the macroscopic relation that defines past and future. We explore how a Lorentzian manifold can approximate a causal set, noting in particular that the thereby defined effective dimensionality of a given causal set can vary with length scale. Finally, we speculate briefly on the quantum dynamics of causal sets, indicating why an appropriate choice of action can reproduce general relativity in the classical limit.