Related papers: On the geometry of no-boundary instantons in loop …
In any attempt to build a quantum theory of gravity, a central issue is to unravel the structure of space-time at the smallest scale. Of particular relevance is the possible definition of coordinate functions within the theory and the study…
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…
General relativity successfully describes space-times at scales that we can observe and probe today, but it cannot be complete as a consequence of singularity theorems. For a long time there have been indications that quantum gravity will…
We show how to do semiclassical nonperturbative computations within the worldline approach to quantum field theory using ``worldline instantons''. These worldline instantons are classical solutions to the Euclidean worldline loop equations…
We comment on structural properties of the algebras $\mathfrak{A}_{LQG/LQC}$ underlying loop quantum gravity and loop quantum cosmology, especially the representation theory, relating the appearance of the (dynamically induced)…
In loop quantum cosmology, non-perturbative quantum gravity effects lead to the resolution of the big bang singularity by a quantum bounce without introducing any new degrees of freedom. Though fundamentally discrete, the theory admits a…
An open issue in loop quantum gravity (LQG) is the introduction of a non-vanishing cosmological constant $\Lambda$. In 3d, Chern-Simons theory provides some guiding lines: $\Lambda$ appears in the quantum deformation of the gauge group. The…
We present evidence that a nonperturbative model of quantum gravity defined via Euclidean dynamical triangulations contains a region in parameter space with an extended 4-dimensional geometry when a non-trivial measure term is included in…
We explore the relationship between the effective dynamics in standard loop quantum cosmology (LQC) based on holonomies and triads obtained from gauge-fixing fluxes, and a modification of LQC based on holonomies and gauge-covariant fluxes…
The momentum space of topological insulators and topological superconductors is equipped with a quantum metric defined from the overlap of neighboring valence band states or quasihole states. We investigate the quantum geometrical…
In two space-time dimensions, there is a theory of Lorentzian quantum gravity which can be defined by a rigorous, non-perturbative path integral and is inequivalent to the well-known theory of (Euclidean) quantum Liouville gravity. It has a…
Over the last two years, the canonical approach to quantum gravity based on connections and triads has been put on a firm mathematical footing through the development and application of a new functional calculus on the space of gauge…
In the one-loop approximation for Euclidean quantum gravity, the boundary conditions which are completely invariant under gauge transformations of metric perturbations involve both normal and tangential derivatives of the metric…
The scope of this Ph.D thesis is to study the effects of the presence of a boundary from a Quantum Field Theoretical perspective, searching for new physics and explanations of observed phenomena. In particular, thanks to the formal QFT…
This thesis explores the thermodynamics of the cosmological horizon, aiming to make progress towards a better understanding of the microscopic nature of its entropy. We utilise the constrained nature of low-dimensional gravity to do so and…
In a path-integral approach to quantum cosmology, the Lorenz gauge-averaging term is studied for Euclidean Maxwell theory on a portion of flat four-space bounded by two concentric three-spheres, but with arbitrary values of the gauge…
One of the qualitatively distinct and robust implication of Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) is the underlying discrete structure. In the cosmological context elucidated by Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC), this is manifested by the Hamiltonian…
Boundary conditions play a crucial role in the path-integral approach to quantum gravity and quantum cosmology, as well as in the current attempts to understand the one-loop semiclassical properties of quantum field theories. Within this…
We consider a Bianchi type III axisymmetric geometry in the presence of an electromagnetic field. A first result at the classical level is that the symmetry of the geometry need not be applied on the electromagnetic tensor $F_{\mu\nu}$; the…
Quantum creation of the universe is described by the {\em density matrix} defined by the Euclidean path integral. This yields an ensemble of universes -- a cosmological landscape -- in a mixed quasi-thermal state which is shown to be…