Why Does The Gravitational Path Integral Appear to Produce Ensemble-Averaged Answers?

Abstract: I will argue that apparent ensemble averaging in gravity even when there is actually no ensemble reflects two facts: 1) black hole physics is chaotic, and 2) the Hamiltonian H_N that describes black holes has no regular behavior for large N except what follows from thermodynamics. This interpretation predicts that the gravitational path integral does not show signs of ensemble averaging if one computes the energies and couplings of states that are not black holes. In D=3, this prediction can be checked by studying classical solutions, and passes the test.

HEP - theorymathematical physics

Audience: researchers in the topic

Physics @ Boundaries Workshop