Related papers: Chern--Simons states in spin-network quantum gravi…
We demonstrate that reality conditions for the Ashtekar connection imply a non-trivial measure for the inner product of gravitational states in the polarization where the Ashtekar connection is diagonal, and we express the measure as the…
We construct from first principles the operator 'A-hat' that annihilates the partition functions (or wavefunctions) of three-dimensional Chern-Simons theory with gauge groups SU(2), SL(2,R), or SL(2,C) on a knot complement M. The operator…
General relativity is extended by promoting the three-dimensional gravitational Chern-Simons term to four dimensions. This entails choosing an embedding coordinate v_\mu -- an external quantity, which we fix to be a non-vanishing constant…
The locally supersymmetric extension of the most general gravity theory in three dimensions leading to first order field equations for the vielbein and the spin connection is constructed. Apart from the Einstein-Hilbert term with…
We derive formulas for the classical Chern-Simons invariant of irreducible $SU(n)$-flat connections on negatively curved locally symmetric three-manifolds. We determine the condition for which the theory remains consistent (with basic…
An anomaly-free operator corresponding to the Wheeler-DeWitt constraint of Lorentzian, four-dimensional, canonical, non-perturbative vacuum gravity is constructed in the continuum. This operator is entirely free of factor ordering…
We consider the noncommutative extension of Chern-Simons theory. We show the the theory can be fully expanded in power series of the noncommutative parameter theta and that no non-analytical sector exists. The theory appears to be unstable…
A Chern-Simons theory in 11 dimensions, which is a piece of the 11 dimensional supergravity action, is considered as a quantum field theory in its own right. We conjecture that it defines a non-perturbative phase of M theory in which the…
We explore a class of CFT's with higher spin currents and charges. Away from the free or $N=\infty$ limit the non-conservation of currents is governed by operators built out of the currents themselves, which deforms the algebra of charges…
This is the first paper in a series in which an attempt is made to formulate a perturbation theory around the the Chern-Simons state of quantum gravity discovered by Kodama. It is based on an extension of the theory of 't Hooft Deser and…
In a previous paper [\AS], we used superspace techniques to prove that perturbation theory (around a classical solution with no zero modes) for Chern--Simons quantum field theory on a general $3$-manifold $M$ is finite. We conjectured (and…
The holographic duality can be extended to include quantum theories with broken coordinate invariance leading to the appearance of the gravitational anomalies. On the gravity side one adds the gravitational Chern-Simons term to the bulk…
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…
We analyze some features of the entanglement entropy for an integer quantum Hall state ($\nu =1 $) in comparison with ideas from relativistic field theory and noncommutative geometry. The spectrum of the modular operator, for a restricted…
The Chern-Simons-Kodama (CSK) state is an exact, non-perturbative wave function in the Ashtekar formulation of classical General Relativity. In this work, we find a generalized fermionic CSK state by solving the extended gravitational and…
In loop quantum gravity (LQG), states of the gravitational field are represented by labeled graphs called spin networks. Their dynamics can be described by a Hamiltonian constraint, { which acts on the spin network states modifying both…
Instantons, monopoles and vortices have become paradigms of topological structures in field theory and quantum mechanics, with important applications in particle physics, astrophysics, condensed matter physics and mathematics. We have…
We present a second order gravity action which consists of ordinary Einstein action augmented by a first-order, vector like, Chern-Simons quasi topological term. This theory is ghost-free and propagates a pure spin-2 mode. It is…
We derive a simple classification of quantum spin Chern-Simons theories with gauge group T=U(1)^N. While the classical Chern-Simons theories are classified by an integral lattice the quantum theories are classified differently. Two quantum…
Topological superconductors are characterized by topological invariants that describe the number and nature of their robust boundary modes. These invariants must also have observable consequences in the bulk of the system, akin to the…