Related papers: The Einstein-Hilbert Action for Entropically Domin…
We consider the most general action for gravity which is quadratic in curvature. In this case first order and second order formalisms are not equivalent. This framework is a good candidate for a unitary and renormalizable theory of the…
The symmetric group $\mathsf{S}_n$ and the partition algebra $\mathsf{P}_k(n)$ centralize one another in their actions on the $k$-fold tensor power $\mathsf{M}_n^{\otimes k}$ of the $n$-dimensional permutation module $\mathsf{M}_n$ of…
We propose a path integral formulation for scale invariant quantum field theories. We do it by modifying the functional integration measure in such a way that the partition function is always exactly scale invariant, at the cost of having…
In this work, we investigate modular Hamiltonians defined with respect to arbitrary spatial regions in quantum field theory states which have semi-classical gravity duals. We find prescriptions in the gravity dual for calculating the action…
An argument is presented that if a theory of quantum gravity is physically discrete at the Planck scale and the theory recovers General Relativity as an approximation, then, at the current stage of our knowledge, causal sets must arise…
We find that rank deficiency of the local Hamiltonian in a classically fragmented model is the key mechanism leading to quantum Hilbert space fragmentation. The rank deficiency produces local null directions that can generate entangled…
Motivated by the conjecture that the cosmological constant problem could be solved by strong quantum effects in the infrared we use the exact flow equation of Quantum Einstein Gravity to determine the renormalization group behavior of a…
In this paper, we introduce a class of functions that behave like classical Eisenstein series in many ways, but with a key distinction: only their non-holomorphic completions transform like (quasi)modular forms. We show how the partition…
We discuss several explicitly causal hyperbolic formulations of Einstein's dynamical 3+1 equations in a coherent way, emphasizing throughout the fundamental role of the ``slicing function,'' $\alpha$---the quantity that relates the lapse…
We consider a four-dimensional simplicial complex and the minisuperspace general relativity system described by the metric flat in the most part of the interior of every 4-simplex with exception of a thin layer of thickness $\propto…
We consider Euclidean path integrals with higher derivative actions, including those that depend quadratically on acceleration, velocity and position. Such path integrals arise naturally in the study of stiff polymers, membranes with…
I discuss the relation between arbitrarily high-order theories of gravity and scalar-tensor gravity at the level of the field equations and the action. I show that $(2n+4)$-order gravity is dynamically equivalent to Brans-Dicke gravity with…
In the study of open quantum systems modeled by a unitary evolution of a bipartite Hilbert space, we address the question of which parts of the environment can be said to have a "classical action" on the system, in the sense of acting as a…
We introduce a notion of I-factorial quantum torsor, which consists of an integrable ergodic action of a locally compact quantum group on a type I-factor such that also the crossed product is a type I-factor. We show that any such…
We study holographic entanglement entropy in four-dimensional quantum gravity with negative cosmological constant. By using the replica trick and evaluating path integrals in the minisuperspace approximation, in conjunction with the…
The causal set approach to quantum gravity embodies the concepts of causality and discreteness. This article explores some foundational and conceptual issues within causal set theory.
Imaginary time is often used in quantum tunnelling calculations. This article advocates a conceptually sounder alternative: complex lapse. In the ``3+1'' action for the Einstein gravitational field minimally coupled to a Klein-Gordon field,…
A quantization of unimodular gravity is described, which results in a quantum effective action which is also unimodular, ie a function of a metric with fixed determinant. A consequence is that contributions to the energy momentum tensor of…
The description of gravity in the form of an embedding theory is based on the hypothesis that our space-time is a four-dimensional surface in a flat ten-dimensional space. The choice of standard Einstein-Hilbert action leads in this case to…
The Einstein-Hilbert worldspace action is used to investigate the dynamics of extended object. In the Robertson-Walker worldspace, this is seen to introduce a pressureless density which could contribute to dark matter. Such pressureless…