Related papers: On 3-Dimensional Quantum Gravity and Quasi-Local H…

A Kaluza-Klein like approach for a 4d spin foam model is considered. By applying this approach to a model based on group field theory in 4d (TOCY model), and using the Peter-Weyl expansion of the gravitational field, reconstruction of new…

The Ponzano-Regge state-sum model provides a quantization of 3d gravity as a spin foam, providing a quantum amplitude to each 3d triangulation defined in terms of the 6j-symbol (from the spin-recoupling theory of SU(2) representations). In…

This is an introduction to spin foam models for non-perturbative quantum gravity, an approach that lies at the point of convergence of many different research areas, including loop quantum gravity, topological quantum field theories, path…

We undertake first steps in making a class of discrete models of quantum gravity, spin foams, accessible to a large scale analysis by numerical and computational methods. In particular, we apply Migdal-Kadanoff and Tensor Network…

The holographic duality conjectures a relation between strongly coupled quantum systems and quantum gravity in higher-dimensional spacetimes. Gravitational theories in two and three dimensions are meaningful examples for classical and…

We analyze the edge mode structure of Euclidean three dimensional gravity from within the quantum theory as embodied by a Ponzano-Regge-Turaev-Viro discrete state sum with Gibbons-=-Hawking-York boundary conditions. This structure is…

The objective of this work is twofold. On one hand, it is intended as a short introduction to spin networks and invariants of 3-manifolds. It covers the main areas needed to have a first understanding of the topics involved in the…

Boundary actions for three-dimensional quantum gravity in the discretized formalism of Ponzano-Regge are studied with a view towards understanding the boundary degrees of freedom. These degrees of freedom postulated in the holography…

This is a nontechnical introduction to recent work on quantum gravity using ideas from higher-dimensional algebra. We argue that reconciling general relativity with the Standard Model requires a `background-free quantum theory with local…

This thesis is dedicated to the study of open spin networks. We formulate quasi-local descriptions of loop quantum gravity. We investigate the coarse-graining procedure via tracing over bulk degrees of freedom, which encodes all that we can…

The problem of background independent quantum gravity is the problem of defining a quantum field theory of matter and gravity in the absence of an underlying background geometry. Loop quantum gravity (LQG) is a promising proposal for…

We discuss the relation between coarse-graining and the holographic principle in the framework of loop quantum gravity and ask the following question: when we coarse-grain arbitrary spin network states of quantum geometry, are we…

The study of toy models in loop quantum gravity (LQG), defined as truncations of the full theory, is relevant to both the development of the LQG phenomenology, in cosmology and astrophysics, and the progress towards the resolution of the…

An example illustrating a continuum spin foam framework is presented. This covariant framework induces the kinematics of canonical loop quantization, and its dynamics is generated by a {\em renormalized} sum over colored polyhedra.…

Spin foam models, loop quantum gravity and group field theory are discussed as quantum gravity candidate theories and usually involve a continuous Lie group. We advocate here to consider quantum gravity inspired models with finite groups,…

We give a short review of the spin foam models of quantum gravity, with an emphasis on the Barret-Crane model. After explaining the shortcomings of the Barret-Crane model, we briefly discuss two new approaches, one based on the 3d spin foam…

The Spin Foam approach to quantum gravity aims at providing a covariant path-integral formulation of canonical Loop Quantum Gravity. Since spin foam amplitudes are defined through discretisations of spacetime, understanding the continuum…

Spin Foam and Loop approaches to Quantum Gravity reformulate Einstein's theory of relativity in terms of connection variables. The metric properties are encoded in face bivectors/conjugate fluxes that are required to satisfy certain…

We extend the formalism of embedded spin networks and spin foams to include topological data that encode the underlying three-manifold or four-manifold as a branched cover. These data are expressed as monodromies, in a way similar to the…

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…