An Adynamical, Graphical Approach to Quantum Gravity and Unification

W. M. Stuckey, Michael Silberstein, Timothy McDevitt

Published 2009-08-29, updated 2014-08-30Version 13

We use graphical field gradients in an adynamical, background independent fashion to propose a new approach to quantum gravity and unification. Our proposed reconciliation of general relativity and quantum field theory is based on a modification of their graphical instantiations, i.e., Regge calculus and lattice gauge theory, respectively. Accordingly, the fundamental structure is a graphical amalgam of space, time, and sources (in parlance of quantum field theory) called a "spacetimesource element." These are fundamental elements of space, time, and sources, not source elements in space and time. The transition amplitude for a spacetimesource element is computed using a path integral with discrete graphical action. The action for a spacetimesource element is constructed from a difference matrix K and source vector J on the graph, as in lattice gauge theory. K is constructed from graphical field gradients so that it contains a non-trivial null space and J is then restricted to the row space of K, so that it is divergence-free and represents a conserved exchange of energy-momentum. This construct of K and J represents an adynamical global constraint between sources, the spacetime metric, and the energy-momentum content of the element, rather than a dynamical law for time-evolved entities. We use this approach via modified Regge calculus to correct proper distance in the Einstein-deSitter cosmology model yielding a fit of the Union2 Compilation supernova data that matches LambdaCDM without having to invoke accelerating expansion or dark energy. A similar modification to lattice gauge theory results in an adynamical account of quantum interference.