Portsmouth: A Step Closer to Understanding Quantum Gravity

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Cosmologists a Step Closer to Understanding Quantum Gravity
University of Portsmouth | 2017 Jan 24

Cosmologists trying to understand how to unite the two pillars of modern science – quantum physics and gravity – have found a new way to make robust predictions about the effect of quantum fluctuations on primordial density waves, ripples in the fabric of space and time.

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth have revealed quantum imprints left on cosmological structures in the very early Universe and shed light on what we may expect from a full quantum theory of gravity. ...

Critical Number of Fields in Stochastic Inflation - Vincent Vennin et al

• Physical Review Letters 118:031301 (20 Jan 2017) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.031301
  arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:1604.06017 > 20 Apr 2016 (v1), 12 Jan 2017 (v2)

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Step = quantum of motion in a gravitational field.

<<quantum (n.) 1610s, "one's share or portion," from Latin quantum (plural quanta) "as much as, so much as; how much? how far? how great an extent?" neuter singular of correlative pronominal adjective quantus "as much" (see quantity). Introduced in physics directly from Latin by Max Planck, 1900; reinforced by Einstein, 1905. Quantum theory is from 1912; quantum mechanics, 1922; quantum jump is first recorded 1954; quantum leap, 1963, often figurative.>>

<<step (n.) Old English steppa (Mercian), stæpe, stepe (West Saxon) "stair, act of stepping," from the source of step (v.). Compare Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch stap, Old High German stapfo, German Stapfe "footstep"). From late Old English as "degree on a scale." Figurative meaning "action which leads toward a result" is recorded from 1540s.>>