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These are notes of introductory lectures on (a) elements of 2+1 dimensional gravity, (b) some aspects of its relation to Chern-Simons theory, (c) its generalization to couple higher spins, and (d) cosmic singularity resolution as an…
We describe a refined version of a previous proposal for the exploration of quantum gravity phenomenology. Unlike the original scheme, the one presented here is free from sign ambiguities while it shares with the previous one the essential…
Loop quantum gravity in its Hamiltonian form relies on a connection formulation of the gravitational phase space with three key properties: 1.) a compact gauge group, 2.) real variables, and 3.) canonical Poisson brackets. In conjunction,…
An unusual four-dimensional generally covariant and supersymmetric SU(2) gauge theory is described. The theory has propagating degrees of freedom, and is invariant under a local (left-handed) chiral supersymmetry, which is half the…
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…
Chern-Simons models for gravity are interesting because they provide with a truly gauge-invariant action principle in the fiber-bundle sense. So far, their main drawback has largely been the perceived remoteness from standard General…
We present a new scheme of defining invariant observables for general relativistic systems. The scheme is based on the introduction of an observer which endowes the construction with a straightforward physical interpretation. The…
We examine the dynamical behavior of matter coupled to gravity in the context of a linear Klein-Gordon equation coupled to a Friedman-Robertson-Walker metric. The resulting ordinary differential equations can be decoupled, the effect of…
It is well known that in a generally covariant gravitational theory the choice of spacetime scalars as coordinates yields phase-space observables (or "invariants"). However their relation to the symmetry group of diffeomorphism…
The evolution of a generally covariant theory is under-determined. One hundred years ago such dynamics had never before been considered; its ramifications were perplexing, its future important role for all the fundamental interactions under…
Just as for non-abelian gauge theories at strong coupling, discrete lattice methods are a natural tool in the study of non-perturbative quantum gravity. They have to reflect the fact that the geometric degrees of freedom are dynamical, and…
Proposals that quantum gravity gives rise to non-commutative spacetime geometry and deformations of Poincare symmetry are examined in the context of (2+1)-dimensional quantum gravity. The results are expressed in five lessons, which…
We describe a deformation of the observable algebra of quantum gravity in which the loop algebra is extended to framed loops. This allows an alternative nonperturbative quantization which is suitable for describing a phase of quantum…
In this letter the Chern-Simons field theories are studied in the Coulomb gauge using the Dirac's canonical formalism for constrained systems. As a strategy, we first work out the constraints and then quantize, replacing the Dirac brackets…
We describe a scheme for the exploration of quantum gravity phenomenology focussing on effects that could be thought as arising from a fundamental granularity of space-time. In contrast with the simplest assumptions, such granularity is…
It is argued that (a) In the quantum realm test-particle masses have non-trivial observability which induces a non-geometric element in gravity, (b) Any theory of quantum gravity, on fundamental grounds, must contain an element of…
We give a careful general relativistic and (1+3)-covariant analysis of cosmological peculiar velocities induced by matter density perturbations in the presence of a cosmological constant. In our quasi-Newtonian approach, constraint…
Recent work on the loop representation of quantum gravity has revealed previously unsuspected connections between knot theory and quantum gravity, or more generally, 3-dimensional topology and 4-dimensional generally covariant physics. We…
We study a type of geometric theory with a non-dynamical one-form field. Its dynamical variables are an $su(2)$ gauge field and a triad of $su(2)$ valued one-forms. Hamiltonian decomposition reveals that the theory has a true Hamiltonian,…
We discuss the quantum theory of 1+1 dimensional dilaton gravity, which is an interesting model with analogous features to the spherically symmetric gravitational systems in 3+1 dimensions. The functional measures over the metrics and the…