Title:	Topology change and causal continuity
Authors:	Dowker, Fay Surya, Sumati
Keywords:	covariant and sum-over-histories quantization global analysis and analysis on manifolds spacetime topology causal structure spinor structure
Issue Date:	Dec-1998
Publisher:	American Physical Society
Citation:	Physical Review D, 1998, Vol.58, p124019
Abstract:	The result that, for a scalar quantum field propagating on a ``trousers'' topology in 1+1 dimensions, the crotch singularity is a source for an infinite burst of energy has been used to argue against the occurrence of topology change in quantum gravity. We draw attention to a conjecture due to Sorkin that it may be the particular type of topology change involved in the trousers transition that is problematic and that other topology changes may not cause the same difficulties. The conjecture links the singular behavior to the existence of ``causal discontinuities'' in the spacetime and relies on a classification of topology changes using Morse theory. We investigate various topology changing transitions, including the pair production of black holes and of topological geons, in the light of these ideas.
Description:	Restricted Access. An open-access version is available at arXiv.org (one of the alternative locations)
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/2289/4542
ISSN:	1550-7998 1550-2368 (Online)
Alternative Location:	http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9711070 http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.58.124019 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998PhRvD..58l4019D
Copyright:	1998 The American Physical Society
Appears in Collections:	Research Papers (TP)

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