Problem of Time

E. Anderson graduated from Cambridge with distinction in Part III Mathematics, and did a PhD in General Relativity at Queen Mary, University of London, before returning to Cambridge as a Research Fellow of Peterhouse and member of DAMTP.  E.A. has also occupied positions at the University of Alberta, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Université Paris 7 (with a FQXi large grant to study the titular Problem of Time).

“This text examines the myriad challenges of developing quantum gravity theories by considering the conceptual development of time and background dependence. … Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty.” (E. Kincanon, Choice, Vol. 55 (11), July, 2018)“From a very special perspective, this book presents a well-versed discussion of quantum gravity programs and, respectively, their problems. … the text begins with a ‘largely theory-free conceptual outline of time and clock concepts, alongside notions of space, length-measuring devices, spacetime and frames’. … it has enough room to trace the Problem of Time facets back to more basic and well-known temporal concepts.” (Horst-Heino von Borzeszkowski, zbMATH 1394.81007, 2018)

• Introduction.- Part I Problem of Time at the Classical Level.- Temporal Relationalism.- Configurational Relationalism.- The Internal Time Alternative.- Brackets and Constraint Closure.- The Problem of Beables.- Records, Histories and Combined Schemes.- Diffeomorphism-specific issues.- Classical Problem of Time in the Halliwell-Hawking Model.- Global Problems of Time at the Classical Level.- Part II Problem of Time at the Quantum Level.- Quantization.- Problem of Time Facets at the Quantum Level.- Strategies for dealing with the Quantum Frozen Formalism Problem.- These strategies for models with nontrivial Configurational Relationalism.- Strategies for the Quantum Problem of Beables.-  Strategies for the Quantum Constraint Closure, Foliation Dependence and Spacetime Reconstruction Problems.- Quantum Problem of Time in the Halliwell-Hawking Model.- Quantum Global Problems of Time and Multiple Choice Problem.- A. Toy Models used in this Book.- B. Levels of Structure.