What Approach Tries to Resolve the Quantum Superposition Issue in Gravity?

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on the challenges of reconciling quantum mechanics with general relativity, specifically addressing the quantum superposition issue in gravity. It highlights that simply combining quantum field theory with general relativity fails due to the incompatibility of quantum superpositions in gravitational fields. The concept of SemiClassical gravity is introduced as a method to couple quantum matter to classical gravity, but this approach does not resolve the underlying issues related to measurement and non-locality. The discussion emphasizes that neither decoherence nor the many-worlds interpretation adequately addresses the necessity of updating probabilities in quantum states.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of quantum mechanics and its principles, including the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
  • Familiarity with general relativity and its implications for gravitational fields.
  • Knowledge of SemiClassical gravity and its role in quantum gravity discussions.
  • Awareness of concepts like decoherence and the many-worlds interpretation in quantum theory.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of SemiClassical gravity on quantum field theory.
  • Explore the measurement problem in quantum mechanics and its relation to gravity.
  • Investigate alternative theories of quantum gravity, such as loop quantum gravity or string theory.
  • Study the effects of non-locality in quantum mechanics and its conflict with general relativity.
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, researchers in quantum gravity, and students of theoretical physics seeking to understand the complexities of integrating quantum mechanics with general relativity.

bluecap
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What is the second paragraph referring to in quantum gravity? specific name for it (like asymptotic gravity, etc.)..

http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2016_09_01_archive.html

"Just combining quantum field theory with general relativity doesn’t work because, as confirmed by countless experiments, all the particles we know have quantum properties. This means (among many other things) they are subject to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and can be in quantum superpositions. But they also carry energy and hence should create a gravitational field. In general relativity, however, the gravitational field can’t be in a quantum superposition, so it can’t be directly attached to the particles, as it should be.

One can try to find a solution to this conundrum, for example by not directly coupling the energy (and related quantities like mass, pressure, momentum flux and so on) to gravity, but instead only coupling the average value, which behaves more like a classical field. This solves one problem, but creates a new one. The average value of a quantum state must be updated upon measurement. This measurement postulate is a non-local prescription and general relativity can’t deal with it – after all Einstein invented general relativity to get rid of the non-locality of Newtonian gravity. (Neither decoherence nor many worlds remove the problem, you still have to update the probabilities, somehow, somewhere.)"
 
Physics news on Phys.org
SemiClassical gravity, which is not a way of quantizing gravity!
It means coupling quantum matter to classical gravity as explained by Sabine.
 
bluecap said:
In general relativity, however, the gravitational field can’t be in a quantum superposition"

There are superpositions in quantum gravity.
 

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