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Einstein’s special theory of relativity is notorious for being easy to misuse, with the result that sometimes result in claims of paradoxes. When one digs more carefully into the theory, you find that no such paradoxes actually exist. In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln describes a commonly claimed time dilation paradox and shows how to resolve it
Highlights: • The Hubble flow is non-inertial for all cosmic equations-of-state other than p=−ρ∕3. • The Local Flatness Theorem is therefore violated when the lapse function is set equal to a constant. • Thus, the symmetries in the FLRW metric appear to be valid only when ρ+3p=0, producing an expansion factor a(t) t. - Abstract: The Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) metric, the backbone of modern cosmology, is founded on the cosmological principle, which assumes homogeneity and isotropy throughout the cosmos. One of its simplifications is the choice of lapse function g{sub tt}=1, regardless of which stress–energy tensor T{sup μν} is used in Einstein’s field equations. It is sometimes argued that this selection is justified by gauge freedom, given that g{sub tt} in FLRW may be a function solely of t, not of the spatial coordinates, permitting a redefinition of the time. We show in this paper, however, that the comoving frame in the Hubble expansion is non inertial for all but a few special cases of the expansion factor a(t). Changing the gauge changes the frame of reference and cannot alter this property of the expansion profile, since it would of necessity reformat the metric using the coordinates of a non-comoving observer. We therefore suggest that the pre-selection of g{sub tt}=1, independently of the equation of state in the cosmic fluid, incorrectly avoids the time dilation that ought to be present relative to the actual free-falling frame when a{sup ̈}≠0.
We discuss the nonrelativistic limit of quantum field theory in an inertial frame, in the Rindler frame and in the presence of a weak gravitational field, and attempt to highlight and clarify several subtleties. In particular, we study the following issues: (a) While the action for a relativistic free particle is invariant under the Lorentz transformation, the corresponding action for a nonrelativistic free particle is not invariant under the Galilean transformation, but picks up extra contributions at the end points. This leads to an extra phase in the nonrelativistic wave function under a Galilean transformation, which can be related to the rest energy of the particle even in the nonrelativistic limit. We show that this is closely related to the peculiar fact that the relativistic action for a free particle remains invariant even if we restrict ourselves to O(1/c{sup 2}) in implementing the Lorentz transformation. (b) We provide a brief critique of the principle of equivalence in the quantum mechanical context. In particular, we show how solutions to the generally covariant Klein-Gordon equation in a noninertial frame, which has a time-dependent acceleration, reduce to the nonrelativistic wave function in the presence of an appropriate (time-dependent) gravitational field in the c{yields}{infinity} limit, and relate this fact to the validity of the principle of equivalence in a quantum mechanical context. We also show that the extra phase acquired by the nonrelativistic wave function in an accelerated frame, actually arises from the gravitational time dilation and survives in the nonrelativistic limit. (c) While the solution of the Schroedinger equation can be given an interpretation as being the probability amplitude for a single particle, such an interpretation fails in quantum field theory. We show how, in spite of this, one can explicitly evaluate the path integral using the (nonquadratic) action for a relativistic particle (involving a square root) and obtain the Feynman propagator. Further, we describe how this propagator reduces to the standard path integral kernel in the nonrelativistic limit. (d) We show that the limiting procedures for the propagators mentioned above work correctly even in the presence of a weak gravitational field, or in the Rindler frame, and discuss the implications for the principle of equivalence.
In this work, we present simulations of nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum field theories on digital quantum computers. As a representative example, we consider the Schwinger model, a (1+1)-dimensional U(1) gauge theory, coupled through a Yukawa-type interaction to a thermal environment described by a scalar field theory. We use the Hamiltonian formulation of the Schwinger model discretized on a spatial lattice. With the thermal scalar fields traced out, the Schwinger model can be treated as an open quantum system and its real-time dynamics are governed by a Lindblad equation in the Markovian limit. The interaction with the environment ultimately drives the system to thermal equilibrium. In the quantum Brownian motion limit, the Lindblad equation is related to a field theoretical Caldeira-Leggett equation. By using the Stinespring dilation theorem with ancillary qubits, we perform studies of both the nonequilibrium dynamics and the preparation of a thermal state in the Schwinger model using IBM's simulator and quantum devices. The real-time dynamics of field theories as open quantum systems and the thermal state preparation studied here are relevant for a variety of applications in nuclear and particle physics, quantum information and cosmology.
A fundamental problem in hadron physics is to obtain a relativistic color-confining, first approximation to QCD which can predict both hadron spectroscopy and the frame-independent light-front (LF) wavefunctions underlying hadron dynamics. The QCD Lagrangian with zero quark mass has no explicit mass scale; the classical theory is conformally invariant. Thus, a fundamental problem is to understand how the mass gap and ratios of masses – such as mρ/mp – can arise in chiral QCD. De Alfaro, Fubini, and Furlan have made an important observation that a mass scale can appear in the equations of motion without affecting the conformal invariance of the action if one adds a term to the Hamiltonian proportional to the dilatation operator or the special conformal operator and rescales the time variable. If one applies the same procedure to the light-front Hamiltonian, it leads uniquely to a confinement potential κ 4 ζ 2 for mesons, where ζ 2 is the LF radial variable conjugate to the $q\bar{q}$ invariant mass squared. The same result, including spin terms, is obtained using light-front holography – the duality between light-front dynamics and AdS 5 , the space of isometries of the conformal group if one modifies the action of AdS 5 by the dilaton e $κ^2$ z$^2$ in the fifth dimension z . When one generalizes this procedure using superconformal algebra, the resulting light-front eigensolutions predict unified Regge spectroscopy of meson, baryon, and tetraquarks, including remarkable supersymmetric relations between the masses of mesons and baryons of the same parity. One also predicts observables such as hadron structure functions, transverse momentum distributions, and the distribution amplitudes defined from the hadronic light-front wavefunctions. The mass scale κ underlying confinement and hadron masses can be connected to the parameter Λ $\overline{MS}$ in the QCD running coupling by matching the nonperturbative dynamics to the perturbative QCD regime. The result is an effective coupling α s (Q 2 ) defined at all momenta. Lastly, the matching of the high and low momentum transfer regimes also determines a scale Q 0 which sets the interface between perturbative and nonperturbative hadron dynamics.
In a renormalizable theory the survival probability of an unstable quantum state features divergences as a consequence of the rapid growth of the density of states with energy. Introducing a high energy cutoff Λ, the transient dynamics during a time scale ≃1∕Λ describes the renormalization of the bare into a “quasiparticle” state which decays on longer time scales. During this early transient the decay law features Zeno behavior e{sup −(t∕t{sub Z}){sup 2}} with the Zeno time-scale t{sub Z}∝1∕Λ{sup 3∕2}. We introduce a dynamical renormalization framework that allows to separate consistently the dynamics of formation of the quasiparticle state and its decay on longer time scales by introducing a renormalization time scale along with alternative “schemes”. The survival probability obeys a renormalization group equation with respect to this scale. We find a transient suppression of the decay law for large Lorentz factor as a consequence of the narrowing of the phase space for decay different from the usual time dilation. In the presence of higher mass thresholds, the energy uncertainty associated with transient dynamics leads to an anti Zeno enhancement with a transient acceleration of the decay into heavier particles. There remains memory of the transient effects in the survival probability even at long time. We discuss possible consequences of these effects in cosmology.
This paper develops a variant of the Least Squares Shadowing (LSS) method, which has successfully computed the derivative for several chaotic ODEs and PDEs. The development in this paper aims to simplify Least Squares Shadowing method by improving how time dilation is treated. Instead of adding an explicit time dilation term as in the original method, the new variant uses windowing, which can be more efficient and simpler to implement, especially for PDEs.
The QCD light-front Hamiltonian equation H L F Ψ = M 2 Ψ derived from quantization at fixed LF time τ = t + z / c provides a causal, frame-independent method for computing hadron spectroscopy as well as dynamical observables such as structure functions, transverse momentum distributions, and distribution amplitudes. The QCD Lagrangian with zero quark mass has no explicit mass scale. de Alfaro, Fubini, and Furlan (dAFF) have made an important observation that a mass scale can appear in the equations of motion without affecting the conformal invariance of the action if one adds a term to the Hamiltonian proportional to the dilatation operator or the special conformal operator. If one applies the dAFF procedure to the QCD light-front Hamiltonian, it leads to a color-confining potential κ 4 ζ 2 for mesons, where ζ 2 is the LF radial variable conjugate to the q q ¯ invariant mass squared. The same result, including spin terms, is obtained using light-front holography, the duality between light-front dynamics and A d S 5 , if one modifies the A d S 5 action by the dilaton e κ 2 z 2 in the fifth dimension z . When one generalizes this procedure using superconformal algebra, the resulting light-front eigensolutions provide a unified Regge spectroscopy of meson, baryon, and tetraquarks, including remarkable supersymmetric relations between the masses of mesons and baryons and a universal Regge slope. The pion q q ¯ eigenstate has zero mass at m q = 0 . The superconformal relations also can be extended to heavy-light quark mesons and baryons. This approach also leads to insights into the physics underlying hadronization at the amplitude level. I will also discuss the remarkable features of the Poincaré invariant, causal vacuum defined by light-front quantization and its impact on the interpretation of the cosmological constant. AdS/QCD also predicts the analytic form of the nonperturbative running coupling α s ( Q 2 ) ∝ e - Q 2 / 4 κ 2 . The mass scale κ underlying hadron masses can be connected to the parameter Λ M S ¯ in the QCD running coupling by matching the nonperturbative dynamics to the perturbative QCD regime. The result is an effective coupling α s ( Q 2 ) defined at all momenta. One obtains empirically viable predictions for spacelike and timelike hadronic form factors, structure functions, distribution amplitudes, and transverse momentum distributions. Finally, I address the interesting question of whether the momentum sum rule is valid for nuclear structure functions.
The mean momentum and heavy mass fraction, turbulent kinetic energy, and heavy mass fraction variance fields, as well as the budgets of their transport equations are examined several times during the evolution of a narrowband Richtmyer-Meshkov instability initiated by a Mach 1.84 shock traversing a perturbed interface separating gases with a density ratio of 3. The results are computed using the “quarter scale” data from four algorithms presented in the θ-group study of Thornber et al. [“Late-time growth rate, mixing, and anisotropy in the multimode narrowband Richtmyer-Meshkov instability: The θ-group collaboration,” Phys. Fluids 29, 105107 (2017)]. The present study is inspired by a previous similar study of Rayleigh-Taylor instability and mixing using direct numerical simulation data by Schilling and Mueschke [“Analysis of turbulent transport and mixing in transitional Rayleigh-Taylor unstable flow using direct numerical simulation data,” Phys. Fluids 22, 105102 (2010)]. In addition to comparing the predictions of the data from four implicit large-eddy simulation codes, the budgets are used to quantify the relative importance of the terms in the transport equations, and the balance of the terms is employed to infer the numerical dissipation. Furthermore, terms arising from the compressibility of the flow are examined, in particular the pressure-dilatation. The results are useful for validation of large-eddy simulation and Reynolds-averaged modeling of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability.
High-speed free-shear-flow turbulence, laden with droplets or particles, can radiate weaker pressure fluctuations than its unladen counterpart. In this study, Eulerian–Lagrangian simulations of high-speed temporally evolving shear layers laden with monodisperse, adiabatic, inertial particles are used to examine particle–turbulence interactions and their effect on radiated pressure fluctuations. An evolution equation for gas-phase pressure intensity is formulated for particle-laden flows, and local mechanisms of pressure changes are quantified over a range of Mach numbers and particle mass loadings. Particle–turbulence interactions alter the local pressure intensity directly via volume displacement (due to the flow of finite-size particles) and drag coupling (due to local slip velocity between phases), and indirectly through significant turbulence changes. The sound radiation intensity near subsonic mixing layers increases with mass loading, consistent with existing low Mach number theory. For supersonic flows, sound levels decrease with mass loading, consistent with trends observed in previous experiments. Particle-laden cases exhibit reduced turbulent kinetic energy compared to single-phase flow, providing one source of their sound changes; however, the subsonic flow does not support such an obvious source-to-sound decomposition to explain its sound intensity increase. Despite its decrease in turbulence intensity, the louder particle-laden subsonic flows show an increase in the magnitude and time-rate-of-change of fluid dilatation, providing a mechanism for its increased sound radiation. Contrasting this, the quieter supersonic particle-laden flows exhibit decreased gas-phase dilatation yet its time-rate-of-change is relatively insensitive to mass loading, supporting such a connection.