My PhD project focuses on the emergence of time in algebraic approaches to quantum gravity, adressing both theoretical and philosophical questions. Recent research suggests that algebraic methods can be used to formulate quantum field theory in a way that does not depend not on any particular spacetime background. This is convenient for studying theoretical aspect of (semiclassical) quantum gravity, in which spacetime itself is supposed to become dynamical. However, if space and time are absent from the algebraic structure, they should somehow emerge as macroscopic concepts from the point of view of an observer. My goal is to investigate how time can emerge from the underlying theory, using tools from Tomita-Takesaki theory, black hole thermodynamics, and quantum chaos, and see whether the algebraic approach can lead to a consistent framework for describing what a cosmological observer can see and measure. 

This project is part of the NWA-ORC Emergence at all scales, financed by the NWO.

Link: https://www.nwo.nl/en/projects/wbheu44297.