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Dr. Sean Gryb

Dr. Sean Gryb
Dr. Sean Gryb

Qualifications: PhD in Physics, PhD candidate in Philosophy


My research involves epistemological issues associated with space, time and scale. In particular, I am interested in how these issues can be used to formulate a theory of quantum gravity. I helped develop the theory of "Shape Dynamics" — a fundamentally scale-free approach to quantum gravity — and have developed a "Relational Quantization" procedure in a new book with the philosopher Karim Thébault to address the Problem of Time in canonical quantum gravity. My current work is focused on the use of probability in cosmology and, in particular, in developing a new approach to explaining the arrow of time


More information about Dr. Sean Gryb

2023

Gryb, S. B. (Accepted/In press). Time regained: Volume 1, Symmetry and Evolution in Classical Mechanics. Oxford University Press.

2021

Gomes, H., & Gryb, S. (2021). Angular momentum without rotation: turbocharging relationalism. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 88, 138-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.05.006
Gryb, S. (2021). New difficulties for the past hypothesis. Philosophy of Science, 88(3), 511-532. https://doi.org/10.1086/712879
Gryb, S., Palacios, P., & Thébault, K. (2021). On the Universality of Hawking Radiation. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 72(3), 809-837. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axz025
Gryb, S., & Sloan, D. (2021). When scale is surplus. Synthese, 199, 14769–14820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03443-7

2018

Gryb, S., & Thebault, K. P. Y. (2019). Bouncing unitary cosmology II. Mini-superspace phenomenology. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 36(3), Article 035010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6382/aaf837
Gryb, S., & Thebault, K. P. Y. (2019). Bouncing unitary cosmology I. Mini-superspace general solution. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 36(3), Article 035009. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6382/aaf823
Dardashti, R., Dawid, R., Gryb, S., & Thébault, K. (2018). On the Empirical Consequences of the AdS/CFT Duality. In N. Huggett, K. Matsubara, & C. Wüthrich (Eds.), Beyond Spacetime: The Foundations of Quantum Gravity (pp. 284-303). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108655705.016
Gryb, S., & Thébault, K. P. Y. (2018). Superpositions of the cosmological constant allow for singularity resolution and unitary evolution in quantum cosmology. Physics Letters B, 784, 324-329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2018.08.013

2016

Gryb, S., & Thebault, K. P. Y. (2016). Regarding the ‘Hole Argument’ and the ‘Problem of Time’. Philosophy of Science, 83(4), 563-584. https://doi.org/10.1086/687262
Evans, P. W., Gryb, S., & Thébault, K. P. Y. (2016). $Ψ$-Epistemic Quantum Cosmology? Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 56, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsb.2016.10.005

2015

Gryb, S., & Ngui , M. (2015). Is Spacetime Countable? In A. Aguirre, B. Foster, & Z. Merali (Eds.), It From Bit or Bit From It? : On Physics and Information (pp. 153–168). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12946-4_14
Gryb, S. (2015). Observing Shape in Spacetime. General Relativity and Gravitation, 47(37), Article 37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-015-1875-7
Gryb, S., & Thebault, K. (2015). Schrodinger Evolution for the Universe: Reparametrization. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 33(6). https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/33/6/065004

2014

Gryb, S., & Thebault, K. (2014). Time Remains. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 67(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axv009

2013

Gryb, S., & Mercati, F. (2013). 2+1 gravity on the conformal sphere. Physical Review D, 87, Article 064006. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.87.064006
Gryb, S., & Mercati, F. (2013). Right About Time? In A. Aguirre, B. Foster, & Z. Merali (Eds.), Questioning the Foundations of Physics: Which of Our Fundamental Assumptions Are Wrong? (pp. 87–102). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13045-3_6
Gryb, S., & Thebault, K. (2013). Symmetry and Evolution in Quantum Gravity. Foundations of Physics, 44, 305–348 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-014-9789-x
Gomes, H., Gryb, S., Koslowski, T., & Mercati, F. (2013). The gravity/CFT correspondence. The European Physical Journal C, 73, Article 2275. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-013-2275-3

2012

Gryb, S. (2012). Shape dynamics and Mach's principles: Gravity from conformal geometrodynamics. [Thesis fully external, University of Waterloo].
Gryb, S., & Thebault, K. (2012). The Role of Time in Relational Quantum Theories. Foundations of Physics, 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-012-9665-5

2010

Gryb, S. B. (2010). A Definition of Background Independence. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 27(21), Article 215018. https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/27/21/215018
Gomes, H., Gryb, S., & Koslowski, T. (2010). Einstein gravity as a 3D conformally invariant theory. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/28/4/045005
Gryb, S. B. (2010). Jacobi's Principle and the Disappearance of Time. Physical Review D, 81, Article 044035. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.81.044035

2009

Gryb, S. B. (2009). Implementing Mach's Principle Using Gauge Theory. Phys.Rev.D, 80. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.80.024018
Gryb, S. B. (2009). Quantum Machian Time in Toy Models of Gravity. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 26(8). https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/26/8/085015
Last modified:27 May 2024 3.48 p.m.