Interesting Claus Kiefer article: fermions decohere geometry

[marcus]

The interest of this article was first pointed out by Tom Stoer in biblio thread comment.

The idea is to take seriously the quantum nature of geometry and its interaction with fermions at the quantum level.

The idea is even that geometry might be as we experience it BECAUSE her little triads have been forced to decide what they choose to be classically by being bumped and jostled by fermions.

Well, suppose at the quantum level geometry really IS modeled by a swarm of little triads (little three-legged things) and these first originate as quantum beings.
But then of course they interact with matter---that is the whole idea of General Relativity: geometry and matter interact.

And fermions, especially, are able to distinguish the ORIENTATION of the three-legged things when they interact. So they bounce off entangled, and the triad is jangled into making up its mind. And the information flows out into the environment. And the state of geometry as a separate item decoheres into some classicalized version. Suppose.

IMHO Kiefer shows an excellent quality of mind by being willing to take that scenario seriously and study it. That is what the best scientists often are doing: taking something seriously (that might sound far-fetched from a conventional standpoint) and going thru with it to the consequences. I don't pretend to be qualified to judge, but I think it's cool. Take a look at his recent paper (with a coauthor named Schell) and see what you think.
http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.0418

 

[AndyW]

Dear Tom Stoer,

Thank you for bringing this article to our attention. I find the idea of considering the quantum nature of geometry and its interaction with fermions to be quite intriguing. It's always fascinating to see how different fields of science can intersect and influence each other.

The concept of geometry being modeled by a swarm of little triads, and how fermions can affect their orientation, is definitely a thought-provoking one. It's also interesting to consider how this interaction between geometry and matter could potentially lead to the classicalized version that we experience.

I completely agree with your statement about taking unconventional ideas seriously and exploring their consequences. This is what true scientific inquiry is all about, and I commend Kiefer and Schell for doing so in their recent paper.

I will definitely take a look at their research and see what insights I can gain from it. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention and for your thoughtful comments on the subject.