Related papers: Unorientable topological gravity and orthogonal ra…
We consider the generalization of a matrix integral with arbitrary spectral curve $\rho_0(E)$ to a 0+1D theory of matrix quantum mechanics (MQM). Using recent techniques for 1D quantum systems at large-$N$, we formulate a hydrodynamical…
We formulate scalar field theories coupled non-conformally to gravity in a manifestly frame-independent fashion. Physical quantities such as the $S$ matrix should be invariant under field redefinitions, and hence can be represented by the…
The scaling properties of quantum gravity are discussed by employing a class of proper-time regulators in the functional flow equation for the conformal factor within the formalism of the background field method. Renormalization group…
In Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity, which is dual to a random matrix ensemble, the annealed entropy differs from the quenched entropy at low temperatures and goes negative. However, computing the quenched entropy in JT gravity requires a…
We consider the quantization of space-times which can possess different topologies within a symmetry reduced version of Wheeler-DeWitt theory. The quantum states are defined from a natural decomposition as an outer-product of a topological…
Spacetime inversion symmetries such as parity and time reversal play a central role in physics, but they are usually treated as global symmetries. In quantum gravity there are no global symmetries, so any spacetime inversion symmetries must…
We examine the hypothesis that space-time is a product of a continuous four-dimensional manifold times a finite space. A new tensorial notation is developed to present the various constructs of noncommutative geometry. In particular, this…
We review recent progress in 2D gravity coupled to $d<1$ conformal matter, based on a representation of discrete gravity in terms of random matrices. We discuss the saddle point approximation for these models, including a class of related…
In this work, we extend a 2d topological gravity model of Marolf and Maxfield to have as its bulk action any open/closed TQFT obeying Atiyah's axioms. The holographic duals of these topological gravity models are ensembles of 1d topological…
$SU(\infty)-QGR$ 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…
An arbitrary local theory of a symmetric two-tensor field $H_{\mu \nu}$ in Minkowski spacetime is considered, in which the equations of motion are required to be compatible with a nonlinear length-fixing constraint $H_{\mu \nu}^{2}=\pm…
Some classical aspects of Metric-Affine Gravity are reviewed in the context of the $F^{(n)}(R)$ type models (polynomials of degree $n$ in the Riemann tensor) and the topologically massive gravity. At the non-perturbative level, we explore…
We develop a fully discrete and non-perturbative formulation of two-dimensional Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity within the BF framework. Using group-valued holonomies and Lie-algebra--valued dilatons, the bulk theory is shown to be purely…
We study the BRST quantization of the 1+1 dimensional gravity model proposed by Jackiw and Teitelboim and also the topological gauge model which is equivalent to the gravity model at least classically. The gravity model quantized in the…
An open question in AdS/CFT is how to reconstruct semiclassical bulk operators precisely enough that non-perturbative quantum effects can be computed. We propose a set of physically-motivated requirements for such a reconstruction map, and…
A path integral in Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity is given by integrating over the volume of the moduli of Riemann surfaces with boundaries, known as the "Weil-Petersson volume," together with integrals over wiggles along the boundaries.…
Topology change in quantum gravity is considered. An exact wave function of the Universe is calculated for topological Chern-Simons 2+1 dimensional gravity. This wave function occurs as the effect of a quantum anomaly which leads to the…
We develop a non-perturbative definition of RMT${}_2$: a generalization of random matrix theory that is compatible with the symmetries of two-dimensional conformal field theory. Given any random matrix ensemble, its $n$-point spectral…
We investigate structural aspects of JT gravity through its BF description. In particular, we provide evidence that JT gravity should be thought of as (a coset of) the noncompact subsemigroup SL$^+$(2,R) BF theory. We highlight physical…
Topological gravity is the reduction of general relativity to flat space-times. A lattice model describing topological gravity is developed starting from a Hamiltonian lattice version of $B\w F$ theory. The extra symmetries not present in…