Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2022) 137: 467
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-02678-8

Regular Article

Microscopic foundation of thermodynamics, transition to classicality and regularization of gravitational collapse singularities within non-unitary fourth-derivative gravity and its Newtonian limit

¹ Dipartimento di Fisica “E. R. Caianiello”, Università di Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy
² INFN, Sezione di Napoli, C. U. Monte S. Angelo, Via Cinthia, 80126, Napoli, Italy

^b anaddeo@na.infn.it

Received: 18 February 2022
Accepted: 1 April 2022
Published online: 15 April 2022

Abstract

A detailed and updated account is given of De Filippo’s non-unitary fourth-derivative gravity and its Newtonian limit, by pointing out the crucial role of non-unitarity in addressing transition to classicality and specifically localization of macroscopic bodies, microscopic foundation of the second law of thermodynamics, and measurement problem; furthermore, it provides a quantum field theory of gravity possibly not only renormalizable but even finite, with a cancelation mechanism analogous to supersymmetric field theories where cancelations are due to superpartners whereas here to negative energy fields. Finally, this non-unitary proposal addresses the long-standing black hole information loss problem and this according to an unorthodox view at variance with the mainstream endeavors to save unitarity at the expense of changing general relativity in vague unspecified ways. Last but not least, motivations and conceptual framework are given, as the author could not present them in his first papers written in a hurry since he was aware that in a little time he would be unable to use PC keyboard or to write on paper due to the progressing of motor neuron disease.