Title

Quanta Without Quantization

Authors

James Thomas Wheeler, Utah State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Essay

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Quanta without Quantization

Publication Date

1997

Abstract

The dimensional properties of fields in classical general relativity lead to a tangent tower structure which gives rise directly to quantum mechanical and quantum field theory structures without quantization.

We derive all the fundamental elements of quantum mechanics from the tangent tower structure, including fundamental commutation relations, a Hilbert space of pure and mixed states, measurable expectation values, Schrödinger time evolution, "collapse" of a state and the probability interpretation.

The most central elements of string theory also follow, including an operator valued mode expansion like that in string theory as well as the Virasoro algebra with central charges.

Comments

Available at: http://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9705235

Recommended Citation

Wheeler, J. T., Quanta without quantization, written for the 1997 General Relativity and Gravitation Awards for Essays on Gravitation. Received Honorable Mention http://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9705235