학술논문

Between a Stone and a Hausdorff Space
Document Type
Working Paper
Source
Subject
Physics - History and Philosophy of Physics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Mathematical Physics
Language
Abstract
We consider the duality between General Relativity and the theory of Einstein algebras, in the extended setting where one permits non-Hausdorff manifolds. We show that the duality breaks down, and then go on to discuss a sense in which general relativity, formulated using non-Hausdorff manifolds, exhibits excess structure when compared to Einstein algebras. We discuss how these results bear on a class of algebraically-motivated deflationist views about spacetime ontology. We conclude with a conjecture concerning non-Hausdorff spacetimes with no bifurcate curves.
Comment: 24 pages, including appendix; 1 table. Forthcoming in the British Journal for Philosophy of Science