Semiclassical gravity, decoherence, and the transition from quantum to classical

• Grant number: 13/20583-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2014
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Andre Gustavo Scagliusi Landulfo
• Grantee: Oton Henrique Marcori
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to study the mathematical and conceptual basis of Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetimes (QFTCS) and analyze how the interaction between quantum systems and the gravitational field can lead the former to behave classically. After the study of the general formalism of QFTCS, we will review the environment- induced decoherence programme and the emergence of the classical world from quantum theory using both the density matrix and Wigner function representations. After that, we will use the above formalism in the analysis of the decoherence of the primordial quantum fluctuations in inflationary models and in the decoherence os macroscopic systems interacting with a stochastic gravitational environment. (AU)