Thermodynamics of Spacetime: The Einstein Equation of State

The two surprising features of gravity are (a) the principle of equivalence and (b) the connection between gravity and thermodynamics. Using principle of equivalence and special relativity in the {\it local inertial frame}, one could obtain the insight that gravity must possess a geometrical description. I show that, using the same principle of equivalence, special relativity and quantum theory in the {\it local Rindler frame} one can obtain the Einstein-Hilbert action functi...

There is an intriguing analogy between the gravitational dynamics of the horizons and thermodynamics. In case of general relativity, as well as for a wider class of Lanczos-Lovelock theories of gravity, it is possible to interpret the field equations near any spherically symmetric horizon as a thermodynamic identity TdS = dE + PdV. We study this approach further and generalize the results to two more generic cases within the context of general relativity: (i) stationary axis-...

In this second part of our series of two papers, where spacetime is modelled by a graph, where Planck size quantum black holes lie on the vertices, we consider the thermodynamics of spacetime. We formulate an equation which tells in which way an accelerating, spacelike two-surface of spacetime interacts with the thermal radiation flowing through that surface. In the low temperature limit, where most quantum black holes constituting spacetime are assumed to lie in the ground s...

Spacetimes with horizons show a resemblance to thermodynamic systems and it is possible to associate the notions of temperature and entropy with them. Several aspects of this connection are reviewed in a manner appropriate for broad readership. The approach uses two essential principles: (a) the physical theories must be formulated for each observer entirely in terms of variables any given observer can access and (b) consistent formulation of quantum field theory requires ana...

We give a modified derivation of the Einstein equation of state by considering the Clausius relation $T\delta S-\delta N =\delta Q$ on a null hypersurface with a non-vanishing expansion ($\theta \neq 0$), i.e. not in the equilibrium. The derivation corresponds to choosing a specific observer to the hypersurface, and such a generalization gives a hint how we can improve the original derivation by Jacobson. We also give an interpretation of the thermodynamic relation based on t...

Here I develop the connection between thermodynamics, entanglement, and gravity. I begin by showing that the classical null energy condition (NEC) can arise as a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics applied to local holographic screens. This is accomplished by essentially reversing the steps of Hawking's area theorem, leading to the Ricci convergence condition as an input, from which an application of Einstein's equations yields the NEC -- even in the presence of 1...

The thermodynamics of local causal horizons has been shown to imply gravitational dynamics. In this essay, we discuss the principles underlying this observation, and its significance in our understanding of (quantum) gravity. We also show why the local thermodynamic methods cannot by themselves recover general relativity. Instead, they lead to the so-called Weyl transverse gravity. Because of this, local thermodynamic approaches avoid huge vacuum energy contributions to the c...

The Clausius relation between entropy change and heat flux has previously been used to derive Einstein's field equations as an equation of state. In that derivation the entropy is proportional to the area of a local causal horizon, and the heat is the energy flux across the horizon, defined relative to an approximate boost Killing vector. We examine here whether a similar derivation can be given for extensions beyond Einstein gravity to include higher derivative and higher cu...

In a first step we will provide arguments for the understanding of quantum space-time (QST), that means, the microscopic substructure which is assumed to underly ordinary smooth classical space-time, as a thermal system at each (macroscopic) point $x$ of the classical space-time manifold (ST). In this context we exploit among other things some recent findings in the foundations of quantum statistical mechanics. We argue that the classical metric tensor field $g_{ij}(x)$ pla...

It is very likely that the quantum description of spacetime is quite different from what we perceive at large scales, $l\gg (G\hbar/c^3)^{1/2}$. The long wave length description of spacetime, based on Einstein's equations, is similar to the description of a continuum solid made of a large number of microscopic degrees of freedom. This paradigm provides a novel interpretation of coordinate transformations as deformations of "spacetime solid" and allows one to obtain Einstein's...