Reversible dynamics with closed time-like curves and freedom of choice

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Tobar, Germain, Costa, Fabio
Format: Preprint
Published: 2020
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author Tobar, Germain
Costa, Fabio
author_facet Tobar, Germain
Costa, Fabio
contents The theory of general relativity predicts the existence of closed time-like curves (CTCs), which theoretically would allow an observer to travel back in time and interact with their past self. This raises the question of whether this could create a grandfather paradox, in which the observer interacts in such a way to prevent their own time travel. Previous research has proposed a framework for deterministic, reversible, dynamics compatible with non-trivial time travel, where observers in distinct regions of spacetime can perform arbitrary local operations with no contradiction arising. However, only scenarios with up to three regions have been fully characterised, revealing only one type of process where the observers can verify to both be in the past and future of each other. Here we extend this characterisation to an arbitrary number of regions and find that there exist several inequivalent processes that can only arise due to non-trivial time travel. This supports the view that complex dynamics is possible in the presence of CTCs, compatible with free choice of local operations and free of inconsistencies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2001_02511
institution arXiv
publishDate 2020
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Reversible dynamics with closed time-like curves and freedom of choice
Tobar, Germain
Costa, Fabio
Quantum Physics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
The theory of general relativity predicts the existence of closed time-like curves (CTCs), which theoretically would allow an observer to travel back in time and interact with their past self. This raises the question of whether this could create a grandfather paradox, in which the observer interacts in such a way to prevent their own time travel. Previous research has proposed a framework for deterministic, reversible, dynamics compatible with non-trivial time travel, where observers in distinct regions of spacetime can perform arbitrary local operations with no contradiction arising. However, only scenarios with up to three regions have been fully characterised, revealing only one type of process where the observers can verify to both be in the past and future of each other. Here we extend this characterisation to an arbitrary number of regions and find that there exist several inequivalent processes that can only arise due to non-trivial time travel. This supports the view that complex dynamics is possible in the presence of CTCs, compatible with free choice of local operations and free of inconsistencies.
title Reversible dynamics with closed time-like curves and freedom of choice
topic Quantum Physics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.02511