Related papers: Introduction to multifractional spacetimes
We construct a theory of fields living on continuous geometries with fractional Hausdorff and spectral dimensions, focussing on a flat background analogous to Minkowski spacetime. After reviewing the properties of fractional spaces with…
We review recent theoretical progress and observational constraints on multifractional spacetimes, geometries that change with the probed scale. On the theoretical side, the basic structure of the Standard Model and of the gravitational…
We outline a field theory on a multifractal spacetime. The measure in the action is characterized by a varying Hausdorff dimension and logarithmic oscillations governed by a fundamental physical length. A fine hierarchy of length scales…
Despite their diversity, many of the most prominent candidate theories of quantum gravity share the property to be effectively lower-dimensional at small scales. In particular, dimension two plays a fundamental role in the finiteness of…
We show that the dimension of spacetime becomes complex-valued when its short-scale geometry is invariant under a discrete scaling symmetry. This characteristic can generically arise in quantum gravities, for instance, in those based on…
We here conjecture that two much-studied aspects of quantum gravity, dimensional flow and spacetime fuzziness, might be deeply connected. We illustrate the mechanism, providing first evidence in support of our conjecture, by working within…
Inspired by various quantum gravity approaches, we explore quantum field theory where spacetime exhibits scaling properties and dimensional reduction with changing energy scales, effectively behaving as a multifractal manifold. Working…
We compare the recently formulated multifractional spacetimes with field theories of quantum gravity based on the renormalization group (RG), such as asymptotic safety and Ho\v{r}ava--Lifshitz gravity. The change of spacetime dimensionality…
We clarify the relation between noncommutative spacetimes and multifractional geometries, two quantum-gravity-related approaches where the fundamental description of spacetime is not given by a classical smooth geometry. Despite their…
Assuming only a smooth and slow change of spacetime dimensionality at large scales, we find, in a background- and model-independent way, the general profile of the Hausdorff and the spectral dimension of multiscale geometries such as those…
Recently, motivated by certain loop quantum gravity inspired corrections, it was shown that for spherically symmetric midisuperspace models infinitely many second derivative theories of gravity exist (as revealed by the presence of three…
The gravitational dynamics and cosmological implications of three classes of recently introduced multi-scale spacetimes (with, respectively, ordinary, weighted and q-derivatives) are discussed. These spacetimes are non-Riemannian: the…
We introduce fractional flat space, described by a continuous geometry with constant non-integer Hausdorff and spectral dimensions. This is the analogue of Euclidean space, but with anomalous scaling and diffusion properties. The basic tool…
The symmetries of a scalar field theory in multifractional spacetimes are analyzed. The free theory realizes the Poincar\'e algebra, and the associated symmetries are modifications of ordinary translations and Lorentz transformations. In…
We answer to 72 frequently asked questions about theories of multifractional spacetimes. Apart from reviewing and reorganizing what we already know about such theories, we discuss the physical meaning and consequences of the very recent…
We describe a class of modified gravity theories that deform general relativity in a way that breaks time reversal invariance and, very mildly, locality. The algebra of constraints, local physical degrees of freedom, and their linearized…
We construct matter field theories in ``theory space'' that are fractal, and invariant under geometrical renormalization group (RG) transformations. We treat in detail complex scalars, and discuss issues related to fermions, chirality, and…
We show that the uncertainty in distance and time measurements found by the heuristic combination of quantum mechanics and general relativity is reproduced in a purely classical and flat multi-fractal spacetime whose geometry changes with…
Studies of the effective regime of loop quantum gravity (LQG) revealed that, in the limit of Planckian curvature scales, spacetime may undergo a transition from the Lorentzian to Euclidean signature. This effect is a consequence of quantum…
The status of multifractional theories is reviewed using comparative tables. Theoretical foundations, classical matter and gravity dynamics, cosmology and experimental constraints are summarized and the application of the multifractional…