Proper-time gauge in the quantum theory of gravitation

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

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.28.297· OSTI ID:6044901

Teitelboim, C

The proper-time gauge appears to be the simplest one consistent with the invariance properties of the gravitational action. It also permits one to implement in a direct manner the requirement of causality in the quantum theory of gravitation. In this paper the measure for the path integral over gravitational fields in the proper-time gauge is explicitly worked out. The corresponding propagation amplitude results after the following steps: (i) evaluating the amplitude for a transition between two three-geometries for which one specifies the relative pointwise proper-time separation and relative spatial coordinate system, (ii) integrating over all positive proper-time separations with a logarithmic measure, (iii) averaging over all possible choices of the relative coordinate system. (An explicit expression for the measure over the diffeomorphism group in terms of a set of ghost fields emerges from the path integral.)

• Research Organization: Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 and Istituto di Fisica Teorica dell' Universita di Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
• OSTI ID: 6044901
• 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

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
EINSTEIN FIELD EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
FEYNMAN PATH INTEGRAL
FIELD EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GAUGE INVARIANCE
HAMILTONIANS
INTEGRALS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM GRAVITY
QUANTUM OPERATORS
TIME DEPENDENCE