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touqra
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Is emergent spacetime the same as saying background independence?
f-h said:No.
Background Independence is a (heuristic) property of (so far) classical theories implying that the geometric structure is subject to the laws of physics and not put in by hand.
Emergent Spacetime is the idea that the very manifold on which this geometric structure sits (and thereby the geometry on top of it) is only an approximate description to a more fundamental theory whose degrees of freedom have no interpretation in terms of differential structures/metric geometry.
f-h said:No.
Background Independence is a (heuristic) property of (so far) classical theories implying that the geometric structure is subject to the laws of physics and not put in by hand.
Emergent Spacetime is the idea that the very manifold on which this geometric structure sits (and thereby the geometry on top of it) is only an approximate description to a more fundamental theory whoes degrees of freedom have no interpretation in terms of differential structures/metric geometry.
Emergent spacetime is the concept that the structure of spacetime, including its geometry and laws of physics, arises from more fundamental entities or processes. It proposes that spacetime is not a fixed background, but rather a dynamic structure that emerges from the interactions of more fundamental particles or fields.
Background independence is the idea that the laws of physics should be independent of any background structures or fields. This means that the laws should hold true regardless of the particular background spacetime in which they are applied. It is a key principle in theories of quantum gravity, as it is necessary to reconcile the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Emergent spacetime and background independence are closely related concepts. In theories of emergent spacetime, the background structure of spacetime is not fixed but rather emerges from more fundamental entities. This means that the laws of physics are background independent, as they are not tied to a particular fixed background structure.
Some examples of theories that incorporate emergent spacetime and background independence include loop quantum gravity, causal dynamical triangulations, and emergent gravity. These theories aim to reconcile the principles of general relativity and quantum mechanics by proposing that spacetime is emergent and background independent.
The concept of emergent spacetime and background independence has potential implications for our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality. It suggests that the structure of spacetime is not fixed, but rather emerges from more fundamental entities or processes. This could lead to new insights and discoveries in the fields of quantum gravity and cosmology.