Stochastic Gravity

We give a summary of the status of current research in stochastic semiclassical gravity and suggest directions for further investigations. This theory generalizes the semiclassical Einstein equation to an Einstein-Langevin equation with a stochastic source term arising from the fluctuations of the energy-momentum tensor of quantum fields. We mention recent efforts in applying this theory to the study of black hole fluctuations and backreaction problems, linear response of hot flat space, and structure formation in inflationary cosmology. To explore the physical meaning and implications of this stochastic regime in relation to both classical and quantum gravity, we find it useful to take the view that semiclassical gravity is mesoscopic physics and that general relativity is the hydrodynamic limit of certain spacetime quantum substructures. Three basic issues - stochasticity, collectivity, correlations- and three processes - dissipation, fluctuations, decoherence- underscore the transformation from quantum micro structure and interaction to the emergence of classical macro structure and dynamics. We discuss ways to probe into the high energy activity from below and make two suggestions: via effective field theory and the correlation hierarchy. We discuss how stochastic behavior at low energy in an effective theory and how correlation noise associated with coarse-grained higher correlation functions in an interacting quantum field could carry nontrivial information about the high energy sector. Finally we describe processes deemed important at the Planck scale, including tunneling and pair creation, wave scattering in random geometry, growth of fluctuations and forms, Planck scale resonance states, and spacetime foams.