Problem of Time

E. Anderson graduated from Cambridge with distinction in Part III Mathematics, and did a PhD in General Relativity at Queen Mary, University of London, before returning to Cambridge as a Research Fellow of Peterhouse and member of DAMTP.  E.A. has also occupied positions at the University of Alberta, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Université Paris 7 (with a FQXi large grant to study the titular Problem of Time).

• Introduction.- Part I Problem of Time at the Classical Level.- Temporal Relationalism.- Configurational Relationalism.- The Internal Time Alternative.- Brackets and Constraint Closure.- The Problem of Beables.- Records, Histories and Combined Schemes.- Diffeomorphism-specific issues.- Classical Problem of Time in the Halliwell-Hawking Model.- Global Problems of Time at the Classical Level.- Part II Problem of Time at the Quantum Level.- Quantization.- Problem of Time Facets at the Quantum Level.- Strategies for dealing with the Quantum Frozen Formalism Problem.- These strategies for models with nontrivial Configurational Relationalism.- Strategies for the Quantum Problem of Beables.-  Strategies for the Quantum Constraint Closure, Foliation Dependence and Spacetime Reconstruction Problems.- Quantum Problem of Time in the Halliwell-Hawking Model.- Quantum Global Problems of Time and Multiple Choice Problem.- A. Toy Models used in this Book.- B. Levels of Structure.

“This text examines the myriad challenges of developing quantum gravity theories by considering the conceptual development of time and background dependence. … Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty.” (E. Kincanon, Choice, Vol. 55 (11), July, 2018)“From a very special perspective, this book presents a well-versed discussion of quantum gravity programs and, respectively, their problems. … the text begins with a ‘largely theory-free conceptual outline of time and clock concepts, alongside notions of space, length-measuring devices, spacetime and frames’. … it has enough room to trace the Problem of Time facets back to more basic and well-known temporal concepts.” (Horst-Heino von Borzeszkowski, zbMATH 1394.81007, 2018)