could you please specifically identify the origin of conflict between quantum theory and reletivity?

-- Aaron Itsme (lucid_81321@yahoo.com), December 18, 2002

Answers

Hello Aaron:

There is no technical problem between quantum theory and special relativity. There is a problem between quantum theory and general relativity. One way to view the problem is that one cannot define local energy in a sensible way for general relativity. This becomes a problem because energy must be turned into the energy operator in quantum mechanics.

A different but just as significant problem is that quantum mechanics is a linear theory but general relativity is nonlinear. Add a little more to a quantum mechanical system, it changes in a predictable, linear way. There is great experimental evidence to support this.

The field equations for general relativity are nonlinear. Add a little more to gravity, and the system changes along with the effects of the system changing, so it takes much more effort to figure out the total amount of change. There is no experimental data to support the nonlinearity, but there are plenty of thought experiments. Basically people say gravitational fields gravitate.

One area of my research proposes different field equations for gravity. They are linear. The energy is precisely defined. Although I am saying that Einstein's field equations are technically in error, I do have to respect the ideas behind general relativity, such as the equivalence principle and gravity making the metric of spacetime a dynamic variable.

Sorry about the delay in response. This web site no longer notifies me of posts, so I have to wander over here from time to time.

doug

-- Doug Sweetser (sweetser@alum.mit.edu), February 18, 2003.