Related papers: No smooth beginning for spacetime
We analyse the impact of various boundary conditions on the (minisuperspace) Lorentzian gravitational path integral. In particular we assess the implications for the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary wavefunction. It was shown recently that when…
In previous work we discussed the quantization of paths in spacetime. Building on these ideas we have developed a mathematically coherent theory addressing a number of open questions concerning Loop Quantum Gravity. Our approach develops a…
Recent developments in gravitational path integrals indicate that the nonperturbative physical Hilbert space of a closed universe is one-dimensional within each superselection sector. This raises a basic puzzle: how can a unique…
We use a result of Hawking and Gilkey to define a Euclidean path integral of gravity and matter which has the special property of being independent of the choice of basis in the space of fields. This property allows the path integral to…
Recently, a new path integral formulation of Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) has been derived in arXiv:1910.03763 from the reduced phase space formulation of the canonical LQG. This paper focuses on the semiclassical analysis of this path…
On the path towards quantum gravity, we find friction between temporal relations in quantum mechanics (QM) (where they are fixed and field-independent), and in general relativity (where they are field-dependent and dynamic). This paper aims…
Earlier work presented a spacetime path formalism for relativistic quantum mechanics arising naturally from the fundamental principles of the Born probability rule, superposition, and spacetime translation invariance. The resulting…
We propose a method to construct quantum theory of matter fields in a topology changing universe. Analytic continuation of the semiclassical gravity of a Lorentzian geometry leads to a non-unitary Schr\"{o}dinger equation in a Euclidean…
The exact solution of the Hamiltonian constraint in canonical gravity and the resultant reduction of Einstein's theory reveal the synergy between gravitation and the intrinsic cosmic clock of our expanding universe. Intrinsic Time…
One of the leading ideas for the beginning of the Universe is the Hartle-Hawking `No-Boundary Proposal.' Since the Cobordism Conjecture claims that any spacetime allows for a dynamical boundary, we suggest that one may equally well consider…
An approach to quantum gravity and cosmology is proposed based on a synthesis of four elements: 1) the Bekenstein bound and the related holographic hypothesis of 't Hooft and Susskind, 2) topological quantum field theory, 3) a new approach…
In the framework of the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary proposal, we investigated quantum creation of the multidimensional universe with a cosmological constant ($\Lambda$) but without matter fields. We have found that the classical solutions of…
In Vilenkin's tunneling wavefunction proposal our expanding universe is born via a tunneling through a barrier from nothing at the zero scale factor. We explore the viability of this proposal for the spatially closed FLRW model with a…
We give six arguments that the Planck scale should be viewed as a fundamental minimum or boundary for the classical concept of spacetime, beyond which quantum effects cannot be neglected and the basic nature of spacetime must be…
We study how meaningful physical predictions can arise in nonperturbative quantum gravity in a closed Lorentzian universe. In such settings, recent developments suggest that the quantum gravitational Hilbert space is one-dimensional and…
The path integral of 4D Einstein-Hilbert gravity for the de Sitter-like Universe with fluctuations is investigated, and the transition amplitude from one boundary configuration to another is computed. The gravitational system is described…
We propose a method for demonstrating equivalences beyond the saddlepoint approximation between quantities in quantum gravity that are defined by the Euclidean path integral, without assumptions about holographic duality. The method…
This conference talk elaborates on a recently discovered mapping procedure by which classical orbits and path integrals for the motion of a point particle in flat space can be transformed correctly into those in curved space. This procedure…
We carry out the nonperturbative canonical quantization of several types of cosmological models that have already been studied in the geometrodynamic formulation using the complex path-integral approach. We establish a relation between the…
We consider the classical stochastic fluctuations of spacetime geometry induced by quantum fluctuations of massless non-conformal matter fields in the Early Universe. To this end, we supplement the stress-energy tensor of these fields with…