Related papers: On a Mean Field Theory of Topological 2D Gravity
We construct a topological field theory which, on the one hand, generalizes BF theories in that there is non-trivial coupling to `topological matter fields'; and, on the other, generalizes the three-dimensional model of Carlip and Gegenberg…
Following ideas of G. Moore and G. Segal, we explicitly construct a G-equivariant topological field theory from an arbitrary Frobenius algebra equipped with a twisted action of a finite group G.
This thesis discusses the topological aspects of quantum gravity, focusing on the connection between 2D quantum gravity and 2D topological gravity. The mathematical background for the discussion is presented in the first two chapters. The…
These lecture notes are devoted to the theory of equations of associativity describing geometry of moduli spaces of 2D topological field theories. Introduction. Lecture 1. WDVV equations and Frobenius manifolds. {Appendix A.} Polynomial…
We discuss topological Landau-Ginzburg theories coupled to the 2-dimensional topological gravity. We point out that the basic recursion relations for correlation functions of the 2-dimesional gravity have exactly the same form as the…
We calculate the genus 2 correlation functions of two-dimensional topological gravity, in a background with two primary fields, using the genus 2 topological recursion relations.
Recent work by physicists on gravity in two dimensions has a natural generalization to four dimensions, formulated in terms of an analogue of Segal's category [defined for the study of conformal field theory].
In this paper we give a characterization of 2-dimensional topological field theories over a space $X$ as Frobenius bundles with connections over $LX$, the free loop space of $X$. This is a generalization of the folk theorem stating that…
The physics of quantum gravity is discussed within the framework of topological quantum field theory. Some of the principles are illustrated with examples taken from theories in which space-time is three dimensional.
It is shown that the topological action for gravity in 2n-dimensions can be obtained from the 2n+1-dimensional Chern-Simons gravity genuinely invariant under the Poincare group. The 2n-dimensional topological gravity is described by the…
The possible interpretations of a new continuum model for the two-dimensional quantum gravity for $d>1$ ($d$=matter central charge), obtained by carefully treating both diffeomorphism and Weyl symmetries, are discussed. In particular we…
Topological quantum field theories containing matter fields are constructed by twisting $N=2$ supersymmetric quantum field theories. It is shown that $N=2$ chiral (antichiral) multiplets lead to topological sigma models while $N=2$ twisted…
The partition function of 2+1 Chern-Simons Witten topological gravity has an attractive interpretation in terms of the unbroken and broken phases of gravity. We make this physical interpretation manifest using the background field method.
We show how the theory of $\mathbb{Z}_2^n$ -manifolds - which are a non-trivial generalisation of supermanifolds - may be useful in a geometrical approach to mixed symmetry tensors such as the dual graviton. The geometric aspects of such…
Mostly self-contained script on functorial topological quantum field theories. These notes give a slow introduction to the basic notions of category theory which serve a closer investigation of cobordisms and (commutative) Frobenius…
We prove that the associativity equations of two-dimensional topological quantum field theories are very natural reductions of the fundamental nonlinear equations of the theory of submanifolds in pseudo-Euclidean spaces and give a natural…
General covariance in quantum gravity is seen once one integrates over all possible metrics. In recent years topological field theories have given us a different route to general covariance without integrating over all possible metrics.…
Lecture 1. Algebraic properties of correlators in 2D topological field theory. Moduli of a 2D TFT and WDVV equations of associativity. Lecture 2. Equations of associativity and Frobenius manifolds. Deformed flat connection and its monodromy…
After a brief review of topological gravity, we present a superspace approach to this theory. This formulation allows us to recover in a natural manner various known results and to gain some insight into the precise relationship between…
Important gaps remain in our understanding of the thermodynamics and statistical physics of self-gravitating systems. Using mean field theory, here we investigate the equilibrium properties of several spherically symmetric model systems…