Non-commutative coordinates from quantum gravity

Abstract

Local observables in (perturbative) quantum gravity are notoriously hard to define, since the gauge symmetry of gravity -- diffeomorphisms -- moves points on the manifold. In particular, this is a problem for backgrounds of high symmetry such as Minkowski space or de Sitter spacetime which describes the early inflationary phase of our universe. Only recently this obstacle has been overcome, and a field-dependent coordinate system has been constructed to all orders in perturbation theory, in which observables are fully gauge-invariant. We show that these field-dependent coordinates are non-commutative, and compute their commutator to second order in the Planck length. This provides the first systematic derivation of non-commutativity that arises due to quantum gravity effects.