Causal Set Kinematics: Reconstructing Spacetime Geometry from Random Posets

Explore the fascinating world of causal set quantum gravity in this 45-minute lecture by Sumati Surya at the Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics. Delve into the concept of discrete geometries as an alternative to the spacetime continuum, focusing on locally finite partially ordered sets generated through a random Poisson process. Learn how these discrete orders aim to capture the topological and geometric information of continuum spacetime up to the discreteness scale. Discover methods for reconstructing spacetime dimension, homology, and geometric invariants from this non-regular substructure. Gain insights into the challenges and current research directions in the quest to derive geometry from order. The talk covers topics such as the causal set paradigm, discretization, Lorentz invariants, links, hypersurfaces, order invariance, dimension estimators, topology, discrete Hilbert action glasses, spacetime warning, and the causal set hierarchy.