Toward a Theory of Precursors

TL;DR

This paper explores the nature of precursors in AdS/CFT holography, proposing they are high-energy Wilson loops that encode bulk information beyond local boundary measurements, indicating a potential breakdown of locality at high energies.

Contribution

It introduces a toy model of holography to identify precursors as high-energy Wilson loops, linking them to the breakdown of bulk locality in quantum gravity.

Findings

Precursors are likely high-energy Wilson loops in gauge theory.

Bulk locality breaks down at extremely high energies.

The model aligns with the locality bound concept.

Abstract

To better understand the possible breakdown of locality in quantum gravitational systems, we pursue the identity of precursors in the context of AdS/CFT. Holography implies a breakdown of standard bulk locality which we expect to occur only at extremely high energy. We consider precursors that encode bulk information causally disconnected from the boundary and whose measurement involves nonlocal bulk processes. We construct a toy model of holography which encapsulates the expected properties of precursors and compare it with previous such discussions. If these precursors can be identified in the gauge theory, they are almost certainly Wilson loops, perhaps with decorations, but the relevant information is encoded in the high-energy sector of the theory and should not be observable by low energy measurements. This would be in accord with the locality bound, which serves as a criterion for situations where breakdown of bulk locality is expected.