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Quantum Gravity: A Self-Adjoint Time Operator as a Quantum Observable

Ilija Barukčić

Published Oct 21, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Background:In quantum mechanics energy is an observable, whereas time is a parameter. Pauli's theorem and the problem of time in canonical quantum gravity reflect this asymmetry.Material and methods:We define the time operator $\hat{t}=\hat{x}/c$ and form, with the relativistic energy $\hat{E}_R$, Einstein's constant $\kappa$ and the time $\hat{t}_0$ in the rest system, operators of gravitational-field and curvature type. Commutation relations, wave equations and spectra are derived in the time and in the energy representation.Results:The commutator $[\hat{t},\hat{E}_R]=\tfrac{i\hbar}{c}\hat{v}_x$ is bounded with norm $\hbar$ and is not a multiple of the identity, so Pauli's theorem is not contradicted. The sum $c\,\hat{t}+\kappa\hat{E}_R$ is unitarily equivalent to the time operator and has a continuous spectrum with explicit eigenfunctions. A postulated field equation, $\hat{G}_0+\hat{\Lambda}=\kappa\hat{E}_R$, has the structure of Einstein's equation; the term $\hat{\Lambda}$ is an operator with continuous spectrum, the Ricci scalar operator contains the energy, and for small velocities the equation becomes the Schr\"odinger equation of a particle in a homogeneous field.Conclusion:Based on the postulated field equation, a quantization of the gravitational-field and curvature terms is derived: they become operators with explicit commutation relations and spectra. The metric tensor of Einstein's field equation has not been quantized.\par

DOI
10.5281/zenodo.23540642

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Canonical quantization applied to closed systems leads to static equations, the Wheeler-deWitt equation in Quantum Gravity and the time independent Schrödinger equation in Quantum Mechanics. How to restore time is the Problem of Time(s). Integrating developments are: a) entanglement of a microscopic system with its classical environment accords it a time evolution description, the time dependent Schrödinger equation, where t is the laboratory time measured by clocks; b) canonical quantization of Special Relativity yields both the Dirac Hamiltonian and a self adjoint "time" operator, restoring to position and time the equivalent footing accorded to energy and momentum in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics. It introduces an intrinsic time property τ associated with the mass of the system, and a basis additional to the usual configuration, momentum and energy basis. As a generator of momentum displacements and consequently of energy, it invalidates Pauli's objection to the existence of a time operator. It furthermore complies with the requirements to condition the other observables in the conditional interpretation of QG. As Pauli's objection figures explicit or implicitly in most current developments of QM and QG, its invalidation opens to research the effect of this new two times perspective on such developments.
Abstract Pauli's theorem asserts that no self-adjoint time operator can exist that is canonically conjugate to a Hamiltonian with a spectrum bounded from below, preventing time and energy from both being operators in standard quantum mechanics. In this paper, we propose a new reformulation that circumvents this constraint by inverting the roles of time and energy: time becomes a self-adjoint operator, while energy is treated as an external parameter. This dual perspective yields a mathematically equivalent yet physically distinct formulation, where quantum systems evolve according to internal clocks. The model accounts for the measurement problem without invoking collapse, offering an observer-relative interpretation tied to temporal misalignment. The proposed model also suggests a fresh perspective on the relationship between quantum systems and spacetime geometry.
Based on Lorentz invariance and Born reciprocity invariance, the canonical quantization of Special Relativity (SR) has been shown to provide a unified origin for the existence of Dirac's Hamiltonian and a self adjoint time operator that circumvents Pauli's objection. As such, this approach restores to Quantum Mechanics (QM) the treatment of space and time on an equivalent footing as that of momentum and energy. Second quantization of the time operator field follows step by step that of the Dirac Hamiltonian field. It introduces the concept of time quanta, in a similar way to the energy quanta in Quantum Field Theory (QFT). An early connection is found allready in Feshbach's unified theory of nuclear reactions. Its possible relevance in current developments such as Feshbach resonances in the fields of cold atom systems, of Bose-Einstein condensates and in the problem of time in Quantum Gravity is noted. .
The Ehrenfest theorem is a well-known theoretical result of quantum mechanics. It relates the dynamical evolution of the expectation value of a quantum operator to the expectation value of its corresponding commutator with the Hermitian Hamiltonian operator. However, the proof of validity of the Ehrenfest theorem for quantum gravity field theory has remained elusive, while its validation poses challenging conceptual questions. In fact, this presupposes a number of minimum requirements, which include the prescription of quantum Hamiltonian operator, the definition of scalar product, and the identification of dynamical evolution parameter. In this paper, it is proven that the target can be established in the framework of the manifestly covariant quantum gravity theory (CQG theory). This follows as a consequence of its peculiar canonical Hamiltonian structure and the commutator-bracket algebra that characterizes its representation and probabilistic interpretation. The theoretical proof of the theorem for CQG theory permits to elucidate the connection existing between quantum operator variables of gravitational field and the corresponding expectation values to be interpreted as dynamical physical observables set in the background metric space-time.
Key aspects of the manifestly-covariant theory of quantum gravity (Cremaschini and Tessarotto 2015–2017) are investigated. These refer, first, to the establishment of the four-scalar, manifestly-covariant evolution quantum wave equation, denoted as covariant quantum gravity (CQG) wave equation, which advances the quantum state ψ associated with a prescribed background space-time. In this paper, the CQG-wave equation is proved to follow at once by means of a Hamilton–Jacobi quantization of the classical variational tensor field g ≡ g μ ν and its conjugate momentum, referred to as (canonical) g-quantization. The same equation is also shown to be variational and to follow from a synchronous variational principle identified here with the quantum Hamilton variational principle. The corresponding quantum hydrodynamic equations are then obtained upon introducing the Madelung representation for ψ , which provides an equivalent statistical interpretation of the CQG-wave equation. Finally, the quantum state ψ is proven to fulfill generalized Heisenberg inequalities, relating the statistical measurement errors of quantum observables. These are shown to be represented in terms of the standard deviations of the metric tensor g ≡ g μ ν and its quantum conjugate momentum operator.