Quantum probing of null singularities

Abstract

We adapt the dual-null foliation to the functional Schrödinger representation of quantum field theory and study the behavior of quantum probes in plane-wave space-times near the null singularity. A comparison between the Einstein-Rosen and the Brinkmann patch, where the latter extends beyond the first, shows a seeming tension that can be resolved by comparing the configuration spaces. Our analysis concludes that Einstein-Rosen space-times support exclusively configurations with nonempty gravitational memory that are focused to a set of measure zero in the focal plane with respect to a Brinkmann observer. To conclude, we provide a rough framework to estimate the qualitative influence of backreactions on these results.