Quantum gravity fluctuations in the timelike Raychaudhuri equation

Abstract

Abstract We consider a timelike geodesic congruence in the presence of perturbative quantum fluctuations of the spacetime metric. We calculate the change in the volume of a bundle of geodesics due to such fluctuations and thereby obtain a quantum-gravitationally modified timelike Raychaudhuri equation. Quantum gravity generically increases the convergence of congruences and the production of caustics.

Keywords

• Classical Theories of Gravity
• Models of Quantum Gravity