Trace dynamics, and a ground state in spontaneous quantum gravity

Abstract: We have recently proposed a Lagrangian in trace dynamics, to describe a possible unification of gravity, Yang-Mills fields, and fermions, at the Planck scale. This Lagrangian for the unified entity - called the aikyon - is invariant under global unitary transformations, and as a result possesses a novel conserved charge, known as the Adler-Millard charge. In the present paper, we derive an eigenvalue equation, analogous to the time-independent Schr\"{o}dinger equation, for the Hamiltonian of the theory. We show that in the emergent quantum theory, the energy eigenvalues of the aikyon are characterised in terms of a fundamental frequency times Planck's constant. The eigenvalues of this equation can, in principle, determine the values of the parameters of the standard model. We also report a ground state, in this theory of spontaneous quantum gravity, which could characterise a non-singular initial epoch in quantum cosmology.