Related papers: Towards a Background Independent Quantum Gravity i…
We build nearly topological quantum field theories in various dimensions. We give special attention to the case of 8 dimensions for which we first consider theories depending only on Yang-Mills fields. Two classes of gauge functions exist…
General relativity becomes vastly simpler in three spacetime dimensions: all vacuum solutions have constant curvature, and the moduli space of solutions can be almost completely characterized. As a result, this lower dimensional setting…
We develop a type of Kaluza-Klein formalism in $(4+4)$-dimensions. In the framework of this formalism we obtain a new kind of Schwarzschild metric solutions that via Kruskal-Szequeres can be interpreted as mirror black and white holes. We…
Topological euclidean gravity is built in eight dimensions for manifolds with $Spin(7) \subset SO(8)$ holonomy. In a previous work, we considered the construction of an eight-dimensional topological theory describing the graviton and one…
We do not yet know how to quantize gravity in 3+1 dimensions, but in lower dimensions we face the opposite problem: many of the approaches originally developed for (3+1)-dimensional gravity can be successfully implemented in 2+1 dimensions,…
The canonical analysis and subsequent quantization of the (2+1)-dimensional action of pure gravity plus a cosmological constant term is considered, under the assumption of the existence of one spacelike Killing vector field. The proper…
The preceding talks given at this conference have dealt mainly with general ideas for, main problems of and techniques for the task of quantizing gravity canonically. Since one of the major motivations to arrange for this meeting was that…
We discuss higher-dimensional gravitational instantons by studying appropriate self-duality equations for the spin connection. In seven and in eight dimensions, the corresponding spaces admit a covariantly constant spinor and have…
We review quantum gravity model building using the new formalism of `quantum Riemannian geometry' to construct this on finite discrete spaces and on fuzzy ones such as matrix algebras. The formalism starts with a `differential structure' as…
We recall our work in the 1980s taking seriously the maximal eleven dimensions of supergravity, in particular the round, left squashed and right squashed $S^7$ compactifications to $D=4$ yielding $\mathcal N=8$, $\mathcal N=1$ and $\mathcal…
Loop Quantum Gravity heavily relies on a connection formulation of General Relativity such that 1. the connection Poisson commutes with itself and 2. the corresponding gauge group is compact. This can be achieved starting from the Palatini…
We construct a new covariant action for "flat" self-dual gravity in four spacetime dimensions. The action has just one term, but when expanded around an appropriate background gives rise to a kinetic term and a cubic interaction. Upon…
We develop the formalism for canonical reduction of $(1+1)$--dimensional gravity coupled with a set of point particles by eliminating constraints and imposing coordinate conditions. The formalism itself is quite analogous to the…
We develop a linearized five dimensional Kaluza-Klein theory as a gauge theory. By perturbing the metric around flat and the De Sitter backgrounds, we first discuss linearized gravity as a gauge theory in any dimension. In the particular…
We discuss the canonical treatment and quantization of matter coupled supergravity in three dimensions, with special emphasis on $N=2$ supergravity. We then analyze the quantum constraint algebra; certain operator ordering ambiguities are…
The study of general two dimensional models of gravity allows to tackle basic questions of quantum gravity, bypassing important technical complications which make the treatment in higher dimensions difficult. As the physically important…
Several recent papers have made considerable progress in proving the existence of remarkable consistent Kaluza-Klein sphere reductions of D=10 and D=11 supergravities, to give gauged supergravities in lower dimensions. A proof of the…
The recently introduced manifestly covariant canonical quantization scheme is applied to gravity. New diffeomorphism anomalies generating a multi-dimensional generalization of the Virasoro algebra arise. This does not contradict theorems…
Fundamental theories, like strings, supergravity, Kaluza-Klein, lead after dimensional reduction and a suitable choice of field configurations, to an effective action in four dimensions where gravity is coupled non-mininally to one scalar…
We give an explicitly gauge invariant canonical analysis of linearized quadratic gravity theories in three dimensions for both flat and de-Sitter backgrounds. In flat backgrounds, we also study the effects of gravitational Chern-Simons…