Related papers: A Background Independent Algebra in Quantum Gravit…
An algebraic approach to the study of entanglement entropy of quantum systems is reviewed. Starting with a state on a $C^*$-algebra, one can construct a density operator describing the state in the GNS representation state. Applications of…
The issue of black hole entropy is reexamined within a finite lattice framework along the lines of Wheeler, 't Hooft and Susskind, with an additional criterion to identify physical horizon states contributing to the entropy. As a…
We review quantum causal histories starting with their interpretations as a quantum field theory on a causal set and a quantum geometry. We discuss the difficulties that background independent theories based on quantum geometry encounter in…
As a starting point, we state some relevant geometrical properties enjoyed by the cosmological horizon of a certain class of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker backgrounds. Those properties are generalised to a larger class of expanding spacetimes…
I consider a thought experiment measuring the decoherence for quasiclassical superpositions of gravitational field. A version of the hole argument allows to prove that a covariant (background-free) theory is completely unable to define the…
We revisit the theory of background fields constructed on the BRST-algebra of a spinning particle with $\mathcal{N}=4$ worldline supersymmetry, whose spectrum contains the graviton but no other fields. On a generic background, the closure…
On the path towards quantum gravity, we find friction between temporal relations in quantum mechanics (QM) (where they are fixed and field-independent), and in general relativity (where they are field-dependent and dynamic). This paper aims…
We consider the quantum gravity partition function that counts the dimension of the Hilbert space of a spatial region with topology of a ball and fixed proper volume, and evaluate it in the leading order saddle point approximation. The…
In a recent proposal using the group field theory approach, a spatially homogeneous (generally anisotropic) universe is described as a quantum gravity condensate of "atoms of space," which allows the derivation of an effective cosmological…
We study how meaningful physical predictions can arise in nonperturbative quantum gravity in a closed Lorentzian universe. In such settings, recent developments suggest that the quantum gravitational Hilbert space is one-dimensional and…
We introduce a quantum volume operator $K$ in three--dimensional Quantum Gravity by taking into account a symmetrical coupling scheme of three SU(2) angular momenta. The spectrum of $K$ is discrete and defines a complete set of eigenvectors…
We analyze the relationship between entanglement (or geometric) entropy with statistical mechanical entropy of horizon degrees of freedom when described in the framework of isolated horizons in loop quantum gravity. We show that, once the…
Vacuum decay in de Sitter space is a process of great physical interest, as it allows to rule out cosmological models in the early and current Universe. Its rate may be described in terms of an instanton in Euclidean space called bounce and…
$SU(\infty)-QGR$ is a foundationally quantum approach to cosmology and gravity. It assumes that the Hilbert space of the Universe as a whole represents the symmetry group $SU(\infty)$, and demonstrates this symmetry for Hilbert spaces of…
We adopt the point of view that (Riemannian) classical and (loop-based) quantum descriptions of geometry are macro- and micro-descriptions in the usual statistical mechanical sense. This gives rise to the notion of geometrical entropy,…
In a quantum gravity theory the entropy of entanglement $S$ between the fundamental degrees of freedom spatially divided by a surface is discussed. The classical gravity is considered as an emergent phenomenon and arguments are presented…
The one-state statement for closed universes has sparked considerable discussion. In this paper, we examine its physical meaning in the context of the Hartle-Hawking state and de Sitter space. We argue that the one-state property of closed…
We argue that the requirement of a finite entanglement entropy of quantum degrees of freedom across a boundary surface is closely related to the phenomenon of running spectral dimension, universal in approaches to quantum gravity. If…
We introduce the notion of background independent quantum field theory. The distinguishing feature of this theory is that the dynamics can be formulated without recourse to a background metric structure. We show in a simple model how 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…