Related papers: BV-equivalence between triadic gravity and BF theo…
We compute the extension of the BV theory for three-dimensional General Relativity to all higher-codimension strata - boundaries, corners and vertices - in the BV-BFV framework. Moreover, we show that such extension is strongly equivalent…
It is well known that, in the first-order formalism, pure three-dimensional gravity is just the BF theory. Similarly, four-dimensional general relativity can be formulated as BF theory with an additional constraint term added to the…
BF theory is a topological theory that can be seen as a natural generalization of 3-dimensional gravity to arbitrary dimensions. Here we show that the coupling to point particles that is natural in three dimensions generalizes in a direct…
The geometrical nature of gravity emerges from the universality dictated by the equivalence principle. In the usual formulation of General Relativity, the geometrisation of the gravitational interaction is performed in terms of the…
We consider a deformation of three dimensional BF theory by means of the antifield BRST formalism. Possible deformations for the action and the gauge symmetries are analyzed. We find a new class of gauge theories which include nonabelian BF…
In three dimensions, there exist modifications of Einstein's gravity akin to the topologically massive gravity that describe massive gravitons about maximally symmetric backgrounds. These theories are built on the three-dimensional version…
$BF$ gravity comprises all the formulations of gravity that are based on deformations of $BF$ theory. Such deformations consist of either constraints or potential terms added to the topological $BF$ action that turn some of the gauge…
We present a thorough introduction to the tools of category theory required for formulating gauge theories based on 2-connections. We provide a detailed construction of the categorical generalization of BF theory, dubbed BFCG, also known as…
We give an alternative description of the physical content of general relativity that does not require a Lorentz invariant spacetime. Instead, we find that gravity admits a dual description in terms of a theory where local size is…
Diffeomorphisms and an internal symmetry (e.g., local Lorentz invariance) are typically regarded as the symmetries of any geometrical gravity theory, including general relativity. In the first-order formalism, diffeomorphisms can be thought…
We show that the phase space of three-dimensional gravity contains two layers of dualities: between diffeomorphisms and a notion of "dual diffeomorphisms" on the one hand, and between first order curvature and torsion on the other hand.…
A direct relation between two types of topological field theories, Chern-Simons theory and BF theory, is presented by using ``Generalized Differential Calculus'', which extends an ordinary p-form to an ordered pair of p and (p+1)-form. We…
A given field theory action determines a set of field equations but other actions may yield equivalent field equations; if so they are on-shell equivalent. They may also be off-shell equivalent, being related by the elimination of auxiliary…
The spinfoam approach to quantum gravity rests on a "quantization" of BF theory using 2-complexes and group representations. We explain why, in dimension three and higher, this "spinfoam quantization" must be amended to be made consistent…
It is known that much of the structure of string theory can be derived from three-dimensional topological field theory and gravity. We show here that, at least for simple topologies, the string diffeomorphism ghosts can also be explained in…
The geometric trinity of gravity offers a platform in which gravity can be formulated in three analogous approaches, namely curvature, torsion and nonmetricity. In this vein, general relativity can be expressed in three dynamically…
It is demonstrated that, unless the meaning of conformal transformations for the underlying geometrical structure is discussed on a same footing as it is done for the equations of the given gravity theory, the notion of "conformal…
Spin foam models of quantum gravity are based on Plebanski's formulation of general relativity as a constrained BF theory. We give an alternative formulation of gravity as BF theory plus a certain potential term for the B-field. When the…
The supersymmetric version of a topological quantum field theory describing flat connections, the super BF-theory, is studied in the superspace formalism. A set of observables related to topological invariants is derived from the curvature…
The perturbative finiteness of various topological models (e.g. BF models) has its origin in an extra symmetry of the gauge-fixed action, the so-called vector supersymmetry. Since an invariance of this type also exists for gravity and since…