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Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 011602 (2005) [4 pages]

Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking Origin for the Difference Between Time and Space

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C. Wetterich
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Philosophenweg 16, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Received 16 June 2004; published 6 January 2005

We suggest that the difference between time and space is due to spontaneous symmetry breaking. In a theory with spinors the signature of the metric is related to the signature of the Lorentz group. We discuss a higher symmetry that contains pseudo-orthogonal groups with an arbitrary signature as subgroups. The fundamental asymmetry between time and space can then result as a property of the ground state rather than being put into the formulation of the theory a priori. We show how the complex structure of quantum field theory as well as gravitational field equations arise from spinor gravity—a fundamental spinor theory without a metric.

© 2005 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.011602
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.011602
PACS:
11.30.Qc, 04.50.+h, 11.10.Kk, 11.30.Ly