Quantum gravity I

Big question

How can general relativity and quantum theory be unified in one theory?

Basic idea

I showed that spacetime could be simultaneously continuous and discrete, in the same way that information can. This yields a new connection in between the fields of information theory and quantum gravity, and the emerging methods have the potential to be useful in both fields.

Watch the video of a talk I gave on this topic at the Santa Fe Institute in February 2011, and a short video-abstract on New Journal of Physics.

Read the "Proposed spacetime structure could provide hints for quantum gravity theory" news item as a PDF file (PDF) or on Phys.org website.

Read the "Spacetime could be simultaneously continuous and discrete, in the same way that information can be" short paper in Physical Review Letters (PDF), and the latest, longer paper in New Journal of Physics (PDF).

Selected publications

• A. Kempf, Spacetime could be simultaneously continuous and discrete, in the same way that information can be, New Journal of Physics, 12, 115001 (2010)
• A. Kempf, Information-theoretic natural ultraviolet cutoff for spacetime, Physical Review Letters 103, 231301 (2009), arXiv:0908.3061.
• A. Kempf, R.T. Martin, Information Theory, Spectral geometry and Quantum Gravity, Phys. Rev. Lett., 100, 021304 (2008)
• R.T. Martin, A. Kempf, Quantum Uncertainty and the Spectra of Symmetric Operators, Acta Appl. Math. 106, pp.349-358, (2009)