Related papers: A one-dimensional action for simplicial gravity in…
The construction of a consistent theory of quantum gravity is a problem in theoretical physics that has so far defied all attempts at resolution. One ansatz to try to obtain a non-trivial quantum theory proceeds via a discretization of…
The off-shell actions for $\cal N$-extended conformal supergravity theories in three dimensions were formulated in [1,2] for $1\leq {\cal N} \leq 6$ using a universal approach. Each action is generated by a closed super three-form which is…
We use a description based on differential forms to systematically explore the space of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Within this formalism, we propose a basis for the scalar sector at the lowest order in derivatives of the field and…
Due to the non-renormalizability of gravity, the perturbative expansion has sense, say, for its discrete simplicial (Regge calculus) version. A finite-difference form of gravity action has diffeomorphism symmetry at leading order over…
The paths on the {\bf R$^3$} real Euclidean manifold are defined as 2-dimensional simplicial strips; points are replaced by 2-simplexes and the orbits of the action of a one discrete-parameter group on the base manifold becomes a convex…
Higher spin fields in four dimensions, and more generally conformal fields in arbitrary dimensions, can be described by spinning particle models with a gauged SO(N) extended supergravity on the worldline. We consider here the one-loop…
We show how the expectation values of geometrical quantities in 3d quantum gravity can be explicitly computed using grasping rules. We compute the volume of a labelled tetrahedron using the triple grasping. We show that the large spin…
Duality is investigated for higher spin ($s \geq 2$), free, massless, bosonic gauge fields. We show how the dual formulations can be derived from a common "parent", first-order action. This goes beyond most of the previous treatments where…
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…
An action principle is presented for Vasiliev's Bosonic higher spin gauge theory in four spacetime dimensions. The action is of the form of a broken topological field theory, and arises by an extension of the MacDowell-Mansouri formulation…
We develop a numerical method to investigate the semiclassical limit of spin foam amplitudes with many vertices. We test it using the Ponzano-Regge model, a spin foam model for three-dimensional euclidean gravity, and a transition amplitude…
In this paper we suggest gauge invariant discretization of Poincare quantum gravity. We generalize Regge calculus to the case of Riemann-Cartan space. The basic element of the constructed discretization is piecewize linear Riemann-Cartan…
Here I present a new discrete model of quantum mechanics for relativistic 1-electron systems, in which particle movement is described by a directed space-time graph with attached 4-spinors, but without any continuous wave functions. These…
We propose an explicit spin-foam amplitude for Lorentzian gravity in three dimensions, allowing for both space- and time-like boundaries. The model is based on two main requirements: that it should be structurally similar to its well-known…
A model for quantized gravity coupled to matter in the form of a single scalar field is investigated in four dimensions. For the metric degrees of freedom we employ Regge's simplicial discretization, with the scalar fields defined at the…
The solution space of three-dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter or flat Einstein gravity is given by the coadjoint representation of two copies of the Virasoro group in the former and the centrally extended BMS$_3$ group in the latter…
We introduce a three-dimensional Plebanski action for the gauge group SO(4). In this model, the $B$ field satisfies quadratic simplicity constraints similar to that of the four-dimensional Plebanski theory, but with the difference that the…
The two lineal gravities --- based on the de Sitter group or a central extension of the Poincar\'e group in 1+1 dimensions --- are shown to derive classically from a unique topological gauge theory. This one is obtained after a dimensional…
We show how to obtain the two-dimensional black hole action by dimensional reduction of the three-dimensional Einstein action with a non-zero cosmological constant. Starting from the Chern-Simons formulation of 2+1 gravity, we obtain the…
I define a model of three-dimensional simplicial gravity using an extended ensemble of triangulations where, in addition to the usual combinatorial triangulations, I allow degenerate triangulations, i.e. triangulations with distinct…