Spacetime and Gravity from Quantum Mechanics

Motivated by holographic duality and the Ryu-Takyanagi formula, we ask the question, “What quantum problem are Einstein’s equations solving?” Answering this question amounts to dissecting or “deconstructing” AdS/CFT to identify the quantum-mechanical origins of spacetime and gravity. We propose a solution involving a class of dynamical correlators that could be potentially be measured in quantum systems, which we identify as “joint quantum distributions”. The volume measure of spacetime is identified as a probability measure evolving with respect to such distributions. We verify Einstein’s equations in JT gravity can be derived from these quantum considerations, and discuss the relationship between gravity and quantum theory in more general settings.