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Starting from the original Einstein action, sometimes called the Gamma squared action, we propose a new setup to formulate modified theories of gravity. This can yield a theory with second order field equations similar to those found in…
We introduce a new spinfoam vertex to be used in models of 4d quantum gravity based on SU(2) and SO(4) BF theory plus constraints. It can be seen as the conventional vertex of SU(2) BF theory, the 15j symbol, in a particular basis…
Applications of the Path Group (consisting of classes of continuous curves in Minkowski space-time) to gauge theory and gravity are reviewed. Covariant derivatives are interpreted as generators of an induced representation of Path Group.…
This is an introduction to the group field theory approach to quantum gravity, with emphasis on motivations and basic formalism, more than on recent results; we elaborate on the various ingredients, both conceptual and formal, of the…
One of the virtues of the Ashtekar variables is the simplification of the initial value constraints for gravity. In the case of self-dual variables this entails a complexification of the phase space which comes at the expense of having to…
Using the Cartan formulation of General Relativity, we construct a well defined lattice-regularized theory capable to describe large non-perturbative quantum fluctuations of the frame field (or the metric) and of the spin connection. To…
In this paper we tackle the issue of causality in quantum gravity, in the context of 3d spin foam models. We identify the correct procedure for implementing the causality/orientation dependence restriction that reduces the path integral for…
In gravitation theory, a fermion field must be regarded only in a pair with a certain tetrad gravitational field. These pairs can be represented by sections of the composite spinor bundle $S\to\Si\to X^4$ where values of gravitational…
In this easy introduction to higher gauge theory, we describe parallel transport for particles and strings in terms of 2-connections on 2-bundles. Just as ordinary gauge theory involves a gauge group, this generalization involves a gauge…
We consider four-dimensional gravity coupled to a non-linear sigma model whose scalar manifold is a non-compact geometrically finite surface $\Sigma$ endowed with a Riemannian metric of constant negative curvature. When the space-time is an…
The emergence of Lorentzian geometries in spin-foams and group field theories is investigated. The spectral dimension of periodic Euclidean spin-foam frusta is studied. At large scales, the spectral dimension is generically four. At lower…
While the use of spin networks has greatly improved our understanding of the kinematical aspects of quantum gravity, the dynamical aspects remain obscure. To address this problem, we define the concept of a `spin foam' going from one spin…
There are exactly three finite subgroups of SU(2) that act irreducibly in the spin 1 representation, namely the binary tetrahedral, binary octahedral and binary icosahedral groups. In previous papers I have shown how the binary tetrahedral…
We construct a cosmological model with non-minimally coupled scalar field on the brane, where Gauss-Bonnet and Induced Gravity effects are taken into account. This model has 5D character at both high and low energy limits but reduces to 4D…
We present a covariant multisymplectic formulation for the Einstein-Palatini (or Metric-Affine) model of General Relativity (without energy-matter sources). As it is described by a first-order affine Lagrangian (in the derivatives of the…
The evaluation of relativistic spin networks plays a fundamental role in the Barrett-Crane state sum model of Lorentzian quantum gravity in 4 dimensions. A relativistic spin network is a graph labelled by unitary irreducible representations…
This thesis is devoted to the study of 3-dimensional quantum gravity as a spin foam model and group field theory. In the first part of this thesis, we review some general physical and mathematical aspects of 3-dimensional gravity, focusing…
We recast the action of pure gravity into a form that is invariant under a twofold Lorentz symmetry. To derive this representation, we construct a general parameterization of all theories equivalent to the Einstein-Hilbert action up to a…
We study the role of the Barbero-Immirzi parameter $\gamma$ and the choice of connection in the construction of (a symmetry-reduced version of) loop quantum gravity. We start with the four-dimensional Lorentzian Holst action that we reduce…
We discuss the possibility of a class of gauge theories, in four Euclidean dimensions, to describe gravity at quantum level. The requirement is that, at low energies, these theories can be identified with gravity as a geometrodynamical…