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(Reference retrieved automatically from Google Scholar through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Vacuum Fluctuations and the Small Scale Structure of Spacetime

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Author(s):
Carlip, S. [1] ; Mosna, R. A. [2] ; Pitelli, J. P. M. [2]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Calif Davis, Dept Phys, Davis, CA 95616 - USA
[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Matemat Estat & Comp Cient, BR-13083859 Campinas, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
Document type: Journal article
Source: Physical Review Letters; v. 107, n. 2, p. 21303, 2011.
Web of Science Citations: 28
Abstract

We show that vacuum fluctuations of the stress-energy tensor in two-dimensional dilaton gravity lead to a sharp focusing of light cones near the Planck scale, effectively breaking space up into a large number of causally disconnected regions. This phenomenon, called "asymptotic silence" when it occurs in cosmology, might help explain several puzzling features of quantum gravity, including evidence of spontaneous dimensional reduction at short distances. While our analysis focuses on a simplified two-dimensional model, we argue that the qualitative features should still be present in four dimensions. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 08/01310-5 - Quantum singularities
Grantee:João Paulo Pitelli Manoel
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate