Abstract
Condensed matter approaches to quantum gravity suggest that spacetime emerges in the low-energy sector of a fundamental condensate. This essay investigates what could be meant by this claim. In particular, I offer an account of low-energy emergence that is appropriate to effective field theories in general, and consider the extent to which it underwrites claims about the emergence of spacetime in effective field theories of condensed matter systems of the type that are relevant to quantum gravity.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 338-345 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2013 |
Keywords
- Condensed Matter
- Effective Field Theory
- Emergence
- Quantum Gravity
- Spacetime
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- History
- General Physics and Astronomy
- History and Philosophy of Science