Probing the Planck scale: the modification of the time evolution operator due to the quantum structure of spacetime

Abstract

Abstract The propagator which evolves the wave-function in non-relativistic quantum mechanics, can be expressed as a matrix element of a time evolution operator: i.e. GNR(x) = 〈x2|UNR(t)|x1〉 in terms of the orthonormal eigenkets |x〉 of the position operator. In quantum field theory, it is not possible to define a conceptually useful single-particle position operator or its eigenkets. It is also not possible to interpret the relativistic (Feynman) propagator GR(x) as evolving any kind of single-particle wave-functions. In spite of all these, it is indeed possible to express the propagator of a free spinless particle, in quantum field theory, as a matrix element 〈x2|UR(t)|x1〉 for a suitably defined time evolution operator and (non-orthonormal) kets |x〉 labeled by spatial coordinates. At mesoscopic scales, which are close but not too close to Planck scale, one can incorporate quantum gravitational corrections to the propagator by introducing a zero-point-length. It turns out that even this quantum-gravity-corrected propagator can be expressed as a matrix element 〈x2|UQG(t)|x1〉. I describe these results and explore several consequences. It turns out that the evolution operator UQG(t) becomes non-unitary for sub-Planckian time intervals while remaining unitary for time interval is larger than Planck time. The results can be generalized to any ultrastatic curved spacetime.