Curvature and Quantum Mechanics on Covariant Causal Sets

Abstract

This article begins by reviewing the causal set approach in discrete quantum gravity. In our version of this approach a special role is played by covariant causal sets which we call $c$-causets. The importance of $c$-causets is that they support the concepts of a natural distance function, geodesics and curvature in a discrete setting. We then discuss curvature in more detail. By considering $c$-causets with a maximum and minimum number of paths, we are able to find $c$-causets with large and small average curvature. We then briefly discuss our previous work on the inflationary period when the curvature was essentially zero. Quantum mechanics on $c$-causets is considered next. We first introduce a free wave equation for $c$-causets. We then show how the state of a particle with a specified mass (or energy) can be derived from the wave equation. It is demonstrated for small examples that quantum mechanics predicts that particles tend to move toward vertices with larger curvature.