The Paradox of Virtual Dipoles in the Einstein Action

TL;DR

This paper explores unusual large-scale dipolar fluctuations in quantum gravity, revealing their paradoxical implications and estimating how they might be suppressed.

Contribution

It identifies and analyzes the paradoxical dipolar fluctuations in Einstein quantum gravity and provides numerical estimates for their suppression mechanisms.

Findings

Dipolar fluctuations can be large and long-lasting.

Such fluctuations could have macroscopic effects.

Possible suppression processes are numerically estimated.

Abstract

The functional integral of pure Einstein 4D quantum gravity admits abnormally large and long-lasting "dipolar fluctuations", generated by virtual sources with the property Int d^4x Sqrt{g(x)} Tr T(x) = 0. These fluctuations would exist also at macroscopic scales, with paradoxical consequences. We set out their general features and give numerical estimates of possible suppression processes.