A Mesoscopic Quantum Gravity Effect

TL;DR

This paper investigates a quantum gravity model related to de Sitter space, revealing a unique quantum structure characterized by a universe volume periodicity comparable to a proton, distinct from Planck or cosmological scales.

Contribution

It introduces a non-perturbative quantum gravity solution with a novel quantum structure, showing a universe volume periodicity linked to the observed cosmological constant.

Findings

Quantum structures are neither Planck nor cosmological scale.

Discovered a universe volume periodicity on the order of a proton.

Solution reduces to classical de Sitter space in the semi-classical limit.

Abstract

We explore the symmetry reduced form of a non-perturbative solution to the constraints of quantum gravity corresponding to quantum de Sitter space. The system has a remarkably precise analogy with the non-relativistic formulation of a particle falling in a constant gravitational field that we exploit in our anaylsis. We find that the solution reduces to de Sitter space in the semi-classical limit, but the uniquely quantum features of the solution have peculiar property. Namely, the unambiguous quantum structures are neither of Planck scale nor of cosmological scale. Instead, we find a periodicity in the volume of the universe whose period, using the observed value of the cosmological constant, is on the order of the volume of the proton.