[Phys-l] The Battle over a possible new paradigm in gravity theory heats up.

[Spinozalens@aol.com]

The blogs are raging and the commentary runs the gamut from Verlinde is an  
incompetent fraud to hailing in a possible revolution in our understanding 
of  gravity. Of course this has particular interest to me in that I have 
posting on  the connection between gravity and entropy for a while, mostly in 
the context of  Dark Energy. Verlinde seems to have made the great leap in 
this class  of gravity models. Some think he has leaped off into the abyss of 
crackpot  physics,  others that he has  uncovered a deep truth about 
gravity.  However both T Hooft and Smolin think Verlinde is making some sense so 
maybe  there is something to this. See below.
 
Bob Zannelli 
 
 
 
 
Newtonian gravity in loop quantum gravity  
Authors: _Lee  Smolin_ 
(http://arxiv.org/find/gr-qc/1/au:+Smolin_L/0/1/0/all/0/1) 
(Submitted on 20 Jan 2010)

Abstract: We apply a recent argument of  Verlinde to loop quantum gravity, 
to conclude that Newton's law of gravity  emerges in an appropriate limit 
and setting. This is possible because the  relationship between area and 
entropy is realized in loop quantum gravity when  boundaries are imposed on a 
quantum spacetime. 
 
 
 
_http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1001/1001.3668v1.pdf_ 
(http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1001/1001.3668v1.pdf)