Luka Vinck (Amsterdam): 'Perturbative Background Independence in Algebraic Approaches to Semiclassical Quantum Gravity'
Abstract: Algebraic methods in QFT can be used to study theoretical aspects of semiclassical quantum gravity. Recently, a framework has been proposed for formulating an algebra of observables along the worldline of an observer. By ‘gravitationally dressing’ the observables to the observer’s worldline, which defines the time evolution for the operators, the algebra can be formulated without specifying the background in which the observer propagates. Physicists therefore claim that this construction constitutes a truly background independent approach to quantum gravity. The goal of this talk is to connect this discussion to the philosophical literature on background independence in quantum gravity. We argue that existing notions of background independence are insufficient to fully capture the sense in which a theory can be background independent within a semiclassical framework. Instead, we propose a new notion of ‘perturbative background independence,’ which we argue is more appropriate for semiclassical algebraic approaches to quantum gravity.
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Philosophy of Physics Graduate Lunch Seminar Convenors: Paolo Faglia, Gregor Gajic and Rachel Pederson
