THE SELF-ORGANIZED DE SITTER UNIVERSE

Abstract

We propose a theory of quantum gravity which formulates the quantum theory as a nonperturbative path integral, where each space–time history appears with the weight exp (iS EH ), with S EH the Einstein–Hilbert action of the corresponding causal geometry. The path integral is diffeomorphism-invariant (only geometries appear) and background-independent. The theory can be investigated by computer simulations, which show that a de Sitter universe emerges on large scales. This emergence is of an entropic, self-organizing nature, with the weight of the Einstein–Hilbert action playing a minor role. Also, the quantum fluctuations around this de Sitter universe can be studied quantitatively and remain small until one gets close to the Planck scale. The structures found to describe Planck-scale gravity are reminiscent of certain aspects of condensed-matter systems.