Related papers: Is the diagonal case a general picture for Loop Qu…
In this paper we review a model based on loop quantum cosmology that arises from a symmetry reduction of the self dual Plebanski action. In this formulation the symmetry reduction leads to a very simple Hamiltonian constraint that can be…
Quantum gravity is sometimes considered as a kind of metaphysical speculation. In this review, we show that, although still extremely difficult to reach, observational signatures can in fact be expected. The early universe is an invaluable…
The Lorentzian Hamiltonian constraint is solved for isotropic loop quantum cosmology coupled to a massless scalar field. As in the Euclidean case, the discreteness of quantum geometry removes the classical singularity from the quantum…
A crucial problem in quantum cosmology is a careful analysis of the one-loop semiclassical approximation for the wave function of the universe, after an appropriate choice of mixed boundary conditions. The results for Euclidean quantum…
It is well known that a closed universe with a minimally coupled massive scalar field always collapses to a singularity unless the initial conditions are extremely fine tuned. We show that the corrections to the equations of motion for the…
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…
An improved mapping of one-dimensional SU(2) non-Abelian gauge theory onto qubit degrees of freedom is presented. This new mapping allows for a reduced unphysical Hilbert space. Insensitivity to interactions within this unphysical space is…
In its canonical formulation, general relativity is subject to gauge transformations that are equivalent to space-time coordinate changes of general covariance only when the gauge generators, given by the Hamiltonian and diffeomorphism…
This is the third paper in a series of four in which we use space adiabatic methods in order to incorporate backreactions among the homogeneous and between the homogeneous and inhomogeneous degrees of freedom in quantum cosmological…
The coefficient of the dimensionally regularized two-loop R^3 divergence of (nonsupersymmetric) gravity theories has recently been shown to change when non-dynamical three forms are added to the theory, or when a pseudo-scalar is replaced…
We show that under certain technical assumptions, including the existence of a constant mean curvature (CMC) slice and strict positivity of the scalar field, general relativity conformally coupled to a scalar field can be quantised on a…
The modified Gauss-Bonnet gravity can be motivated by a number of physical reasons, including: the uniqueness of a gravitational Lagrangian in four and higher dimensions and the leading order $\alpha^\prime$ corrections in superstring…
The deconfined quantum critical point of a two-dimensional SU(N) antiferromagnet is governed by an Abelian Higgs model in $d=2+1$ spacetime dimensions featuring $N$ complex scalar fields. In this context, we derive for $2\leq d\leq 4$ an…
We consider a U(1) Gauged Linear Sigma Model (GLSM) with (2,2) supersymmetry, leading to a susy vacua of the resolved conifold. It possesses the non-Abelian global symmetry SU(2)xSU(2). A non-Abelian T-duality can be constructed which can…
The covariance of loop quantum gravity studies of spherically symmetric space-times has recently been questioned. This is a reasonable worry, given that they are formulated in terms of slicing-dependent variables. We show explicitly that…
We provide a full quantization of the vacuum Gowdy model with local rotational symmetry. We consider a redefinition of the constraints where the Hamiltonian Poisson-commutes with itself. We then apply the canonical quantization program of…
Three of the big puzzles of theoretical physics are the following: (i) There is apparently no time evolution in the dynamics of quantum general relativity, because the allowed quantum states must obey the Hamiltonian constraint. (ii) During…
The dark sector is postulated to be invariant under an $SU(2)$ gauge symmetry, spontaneously broken by a Higgs quadruplet to a conserved residual $Z_3 \times Z_2$ symmetry. The resulting dark matter phenomenology is studied.
We reexamine the longstanding no-go excluding all potentially viable SO(10) -> SU(3)_c x SU(2)_L x U(1)_Y symmetry breaking patterns within the minimal renormalizable non-supersymmetric SO(10) GUT framework featuring the 45-dimensional…
Using gauge/gravity duality, we deduce several nontrivial consequences of quantum gravity from simple properties of the dual field theory. These include: (1) a version of cosmic censorship, (2) restrictions on evolution through black hole…