1999/10/18 by Fotini Markopoulou, Lee Smolin, Markopoulou, Fotini +1
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc) #High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th) #gr-qc #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.hep-th/9910146
16 pages, LaTeX
arxiv created 1999/10/18 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
We propose a formulation of the holographic principle, suitable for a background independent quantum theory of cosmology. It is stated as a relationship between the flow of quantum information and the causal structure of a quantum spacetime. Screens are defined as sets of events at which the observables of a holographic cosmological theory may be measured, and such that information may flow across them in two directions. A discrete background independent holographic theory may be formulated in terms of information flowing in a causal network of such screens. Geometry is introduced by defining the area of a screen to be a measure of its capacity as a channel of quantum information from its null past to its null future. We call this a ``weak'' form of the holographic principle, as no use is made of a bulk theory.