Related papers: Geometry and observables in (2+1)-gravity
We relate the geometrical and the Chern-Simons description of (2+1)-dimensional gravity for spacetimes of topology $R\times S_g$, where $S_g$ is an oriented two-surface of genus $g>1$, for Lorentzian signature and general cosmological…
We investigate the relation between measurements and the physical observables for vacuum spacetimes with compact spatial surfaces in (2+1)-gravity with vanishing cosmological constant. By considering an observer who emits lightrays that…
We consider an observer in a (2+1)-spacetime without matter and cosmological constant who measures spacetime geometry by emitting lightrays which return to him at a later time. We investigate several quantities associated with such…
We show how an observer could measure the non-local holonomy variables that parametrise the flat Lorentzian 3d manifolds arising as spacetimes in (2+1)-gravity. We consider an observer who emits lightrays that return to him at a later time…
This paper is a review of the relationship between the metric formulation of (2+1)-dimensional gravity and the loop observables of Rovelli and Smolin. I emphasize the possibility of reconstructing the geometry, via the theory of geometric…
Wilson observables for 2+1 quantum gravity with negative cosmological constant, when the spatial manifold is a torus, exhibit several novel features: signed area phases relate the observables assigned to homotopic loops, and their…
Finding diffeomorphism-invariant observables to characterize the properties of gravity and spacetime at the Planck scale is essential for making progress in quantum gravity. The holonomy and Wilson loop of the Levi-Civita connection are…
Motivated by situations with temporal evolution and spatial symmetries both singled out, we develop a new 2+1+1 decomposition of spacetime, based on a nonorthogonal double foliation. Time evolution proceeds along the leaves of the spatial…
A four dimensional generally covariant field theory is presented which describes non-dynamical three geometries coupled to scalar fields. The theory has an infinite number of physical observables (or constants of the motion) which are…
We show that there are 2 equivalent first order descriptions of 2+1 gravity with non-zero cosmological constant. One is the well-known spacetime description and the other is in terms of evolving conformal geometry. The key tool that links…
For spacetimes with the topology $\IR\!\times\!T^2$, the action of (2+1)-dimensional gravity with negative cosmological constant $\La$ is written uniquely in terms of the time-independent traces of holonomies around two intersecting…
We construct stationary flat three-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds with singularities that are obtained from Euclidean surfaces with cone singularities and closed one-forms on these surfaces. In the application to (2+1)-gravity, these…
Witten has presented an argument for the vanishing of the cosmological constant in 2+1 dimensions. This argument is crucially tied to the specific properties of (2+1)-dimensional gravity. We argue that this reasoning can be deconstructed to…
Some of the most outstanding questions in the field of gravitation and geometry remain unsolved as a result of our limited understanding of the global structure of the spacetime geometry and the role played by global spacetime…
We relate the geometrical construction of (2+1)-spacetimes via grafting to phase space and Poisson structure in the Chern-Simons formulation of (2+1)-dimensional gravity with vanishing cosmological constant on manifolds of topology $R\times…
A cosmological time variable is emerged from the hamiltonian formulation of unimodular theory of gravity to measure the evolution of dynamical observables in the theory. A set of constants of motion has been identified for the theory on the…
The extended conformal algebra (so)(2,3) of global, quantum, constants of motion in 2+1 dimensional gravity with topology R x T^2 and negative cosmological constant is reviewed. It is shown that the 10 global constants form a complete set…
We describe an approach to the quantisation of (2+1)-dimensional gravity with topology R x T^2 and negative cosmological constant, which uses two quantum holonomy matrices satisfying a q-commutation relation. Solutions of diagonal and…
We compare three approaches to the quantization of (2+1)-dimensional gravity with a negative cosmological constant: reduced phase space quantization with the York time slicing, quantization of the algebra of holonomies, and quantization of…
Inspired by previous work in 2+1 dimensional quantum gravity, which found evidence for a discretization of time in the quantum theory, we reexamine the issue for the case of pure Lorentzian gravity with vanishing cosmological constant and…