Quantum mechanics of the gravitational field in asymptotically flat space

Journal Article · Fri Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.28.310· OSTI ID:5907254

Teitelboim, C

An expression for the propagation amplitude between two gravitational field configurations in asymptotically flat space is given. It depends on two three-geometries and on an element of the Poincare group which specifies the relative location of two hyperplanes in the Minkowski space at infinity. The amplitude is obtained by path integrating over gravitational fields in the proper-time gauge which was previously used by the author for compact spaces. The causality condition, which is imposed by admitting in the path integral only positive proper-time separations between the initial and final surfaces, implies that the amplitude is not annihilated by the generator of normal deformations. It is argued that, as a consequence, it is not permissible to regard quantized gravitation theory in asymptotically flat space as an ''ordinary gauge theory'' even if one is only interested in asymptotic pro- p cesses.

• Research Organization: Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 and Istituto di Fisica Teorica dell' Universita di Torino, p 10125 Torino, Italy
• OSTI ID: 5907254
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 28:2; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

657003* -- Theoretical & Mathematical Physics-- Relativity & Gravitation
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMOLOGY
GAUGE INVARIANCE
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LIE GROUPS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MECHANICS
MINKOWSKI SPACE
POINCARE GROUPS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
SPACE
SPACE-TIME
SYMMETRY GROUPS
TIME DEPENDENCE