Related papers: On the configuration space topology in general rel…
Wheeler emphasized the study of Superspace - the space of 3-geometries on a spatial manifold of fixed topology. This is a configuration space for GR; knowledge of configuration spaces is useful as regards dynamics and QM.In this Article I…
Let $M$ be a subset of vector space or projective space. The authors define the \emph{generalized configuration space} of $M$ which is formed by $n$-tuples of elements of $M$ where any $k$ elements of each $n$-tuple are linearly…
Mapping-class groups of 3-manifolds feature as symmetry groups in canonical quantum gravity. They are an obvious source through which topological information could be transmitted into the quantum theory. If treated as gauge symmetries,…
These expository notes are dedicated to the study of the topology of configuration spaces of manifolds. We give detailed computations of many invariants, including the fundamental group of the configuration spaces of $\mathbb{R}^2$, the…
General relativity does not allow one to specify the topology of space, leaving the possibility that space is multiply rather than simply connected. We review the main mathematical properties of multiply connected spaces, and the different…
The general construction of self-adjoint configuration space representations of the Heisenberg algebra over an arbitrary manifold is considered. All such inequivalent representations are parametrised in terms of the topology classes of flat…
This letter describes a novel derivation of general relativity by considering the (non)self-consistency of theories whose Hamiltonians are constraints. The constraints, from Hamilton's equations, generate the evolution, while the evolution,…
Given a finite graph G and a topological space Z, the graphical configuration space Conf(G, Z) is the space of functions V(G) -> Z so that adjacent vertices map to distinct points. We provide a homotopy decomposition of Conf(G, X x Y) in…
The gauge symmetry of classical general relativity under space-time diffeomorphisms implies that any path integral quantization which can be interpreted as a sum over space-time geometries, gives rise to a formal invariant of smooth…
General relativity does not allow one to specify the topology of space, leaving the possibility that space is multi-- rather than simply--connected. We review the main mathematical properties of multi--connected spaces, and the different…
We show that the homology over a field of the space of free maps from the n-sphere to the n-fold suspension of X depends only on the cohomology algebra of X and compute it explicitly. We compute also the homology of the closely related…
A topology is defined on the mapping class group of a compact connected orientable surface. It is shown that a notion of "genericity" on subsets of the mapping class group arises from this definition. Many plausible results follow from this…
This article gives the construction and complete classification of all three-dimensional spherical manifolds, and orders them by decreasing volume, in the context of multiconnected universe models with positive spatial curvature. It…
We reconstruct a quantum group associated with any Lie algebra together with its representation theory from twisted homologies of generalized configuration spaces of disks. Along the way it brings new combinatorics to the theory, but our…
We construct a simple topological invariant of certain 3-manifolds, including quotients of the 3-sphere by finite groups, based on the fact that the tangent bundle of an orientable 3-manifold is trivialisable. This invariant is strong…
The first and second homology groups are computed for configuration spaces of framed three-dimensional point particles with annihilation included, when up to two particles and an antiparticle are present.
The main theorem shows that if M is an irreducible compact connected orientable 3-manifold with non-empty boundary, then the classifying space BDiff(M rel dM) of the space of diffeomorphisms of M which restrict to the identity map on…
Hard sphere systems are often used to model simple fluids. The configuration spaces of hard spheres in a three-dimensional torus modulo various symmetry groups are comparatively simple, and could provide valuable information about the…
Finite-order invariants of knots in arbitrary 3-manifolds (including non-orientable ones) are constructed and studied by methods of the topology of discriminant sets. Obstructions to the integrability of admissible weight systems to…
It is well known that one can parameterize 2-D Riemannian structures by conformal transformations and diffeomorphisms of fiducial constant curvature geometries; and that this construction has a natural setting in general relativity theory…