Related papers: A Simple Model for Quantum Gravity: the one-dimens…
Quantum gravity has matured over the last decade to a theory which can tell in a precise and explicit way how cosmological singularities of general relativity are removed. A branch of the universe "before" the classical big bang is obtained…
The cosmological constant problem is one of the long-standing issues of modern physics. While we can measure the value of the cosmological constant with great accuracy, we are not able to calculate it in a coherent theoretical framework. On…
We consider a simple model of d families of scalar field interacting with geometry in two dimensions. The geometry is locally flat and has only global degrees of freedom. When d<0 the universe is locally two dimensional but for d>0 it…
We discuss the hypothesis of a fixed point for quantum gravity coupled to a scalar, in the limit where the scalar field goes to infinity, accompanied by a suitable scaling of the metric. We propose that no scalar potential is present for…
The spectral principle of Connes and Chamseddine is used as a starting point to define a discrete model for Euclidean quantum gravity. Instead of summing over ordinary geometries, we consider the sum over generalized geometries where…
Classical-particle trajectories are calculated for the static Einstein universe without requiring that the 3-space be closed and curved. Freely-moving test particles are found to return to their starting positions because of strong…
We hereby present a class of multidimensional higher derivative theories of gravity that realizes an ultraviolet completion of Einstein general relativity. This class is marked by a "non-polynomal" entire function (form factor), which…
Coupling any interacting quantum mechanical system to gravity in one (time) dimension requires the cosmological constant to belong to the matter energy spectrum and thus to be quantised, even though the gravity sector is free of any quantum…
Quantum gravity is investigated in the limit of a large number of space-time dimensions, using as an ultraviolet regularization the simplicial lattice path integral formulation. In the weak field limit the appropriate expansion parameter is…
We present the results of a high statistics Monte Carlo study of a model for four dimensional euclidean quantum gravity based on summing over triangulations. We show evidence for two phases; in one there is a logarithmic scaling on the mean…
Quantum cosmology in general denotes the application of quantum physics to the whole universe and thus gives rise to many realizations and examples, covering problems at different mathematical and conceptual levels. It is related to quantum…
Quantum gravity places entirely new challenges on the formulation of a consistent theory as well as on an extraction of potentially observable effects. Quantum corrections due to the gravitational field are commonly expected to be tiny…
We analyze 2+1-dimensional gravity in the framework of quantum gauge theory. We find that Einstein gravity has a trivial physical subspace which reflects the fact that the classical solution in empty space is flat. Therefore we study…
The properties of the quantum universe on extremely small spacetime scales are studied in the semi-classical approach to the well-defined quantum model. It is shown that near the initial cosmological singularity point quantum gravity…
Matter interacting classically with gravity in 3+1 dimensions usually gives rise to a continuum of degrees of freedom, so that, in any attempt to quantize the theory, ultraviolet divergences are nearly inevitable. Here, we investigate…
We formulate quantum gravity in $2+\epsilon$ dimensions in such a way that the conformal mode is explicitly separated. The dynamics of the conformal mode is understood in terms of the oversubtraction due to the one loop counter term. The…
Despite their diversity, many of the most prominent candidate theories of quantum gravity share the property to be effectively lower-dimensional at small scales. In particular, dimension two plays a fundamental role in the finiteness of…
We first present a review, intended for classical relativists, of the ultraviolet difficulties faced by local quantum gravity theories in both the usual Einstein versions and in their supergravity extensions, at least perturbatively. These…
We consider a model for gravity that is invariant under global scale transformations. It includes one extra real scalar field coupled non-minimally to the gravity fields. In this model all the dimensionful parameters like the gravitational…
The cosmological constant problem is usually considered an inevitable feature of any effective theory capturing well-tested gravitational and matter physics, without regard to the details of short-distance gravitational couplings. In this…