[SEMINARI] [SEMINAR] The Principle of General Covariance and the Hole Argument

[Enric Marco]

Title: The Principle of General Covariance and the Hole Argument

by: Alberto Chamorro

from: Department of Theoretical Physics, University of the Basque Country

Where: Seminari del departament d'Astronomia i Astrofísica

Date: Dimecres 06 març 2013

Time: 12:00 h

Abstract:

This is part of a paper of the speaker recently published on the meaning 
of the Principle of General Covariance (GCP) where a precise formulation 
of that principle as a General Relativity Principle is put forward. We 
start by explaining that formulation with the help of a natural 
extension of the Minkowskian coordinates used in flat space-time to 
general curved space-times that we call quasi-Minkowskian coordinates. 
Then we review the history and debate around the Hole Argument (HA) 
describing its rationale and the difficulties to accept a general 
covariant theory to which it supposedly leads. By resorting to the 
quasi-Minkowskian coordinates above mentioned we show how the whole 
issue posed by the HA is greatly clarified and how it is the metric that 
supplies the physical meaning of coordinates and individuates 
point-events in regions of space-time where no other fields exist. The 
talk ends arguing in favour of interpreting the GCP not only as a 
predictive physical principle, but also as a guiding principle 
supporting Einstein’s appreciation of its heuristic worth in his reply 
to Kretschmann in 1918.

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Dr. Enric Marco
Departament d'Astronomia i Astrofísica
Facultat de Física
Universitat de València
C/  Dr. Moliner, 50
46100 Burjassot, Spain
Phone: (34)-96-354-3069
Fax:(34)-96-354-3084
enric.marco en uv.es
www.uv.es/marco
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