Gravity from micro-equilibration

TL;DR

The paper proposes a micro-equilibration process as a mechanism for the emergence of classical spacetime from quantum gravity, linking local thermalization of entanglement to smooth bulk geometries in AdS/CFT.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of micro-equilibration as a universal process underlying the emergence of classical spacetime in quantum gravity within the AdS/CFT framework.

Findings

Micro-equilibration leads to typical smooth bulk geometries in CFT states.

Universal entanglement structure characterizes geometrical CFT states.

The process explains the emergence of classical spacetime from quantum entanglement.

Abstract

We suggest a mechanism for the emergence of classical dynamical spacetime from an underlying quantum gravitational system. This is an example of a more general process, which we name micro-equilibration, and which can be thought of as local thermalization of entanglement. Applied in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence, we propose that this dynamical process underlies generic evolution towards CFT states whose gravitational dual describes smooth bulk geometries. Hence contrary to common expectation, such 'geometric' CFT states are in fact typical in this sense. Correspondingly they can be characterized by a specific universal entanglement structure resulting from micro-equilibration of a generic quantum state.