Related papers: A surface theoretic model of quantum gravity
A new non-perturbative approach to quantum theory in curved spacetime and to quantum gravity, based on a generalisation of the Wigner equation, is proposed. Our definition for a Wigner equation differs from what have otherwise been…
Space-time quantum contributions to the classical Einstein equations of General Relativity are determined. The theoretical background is provided by the non-perturbative theory of manifestly-covariant quantum gravity and the…
In this article we lay foundations for a formal relationship of spin foam models of gravity and BF theory to their continuum canonical formulations. First the derivation of the spin foam model of the BF theory from the discrete BF theory…
The problem of finding the quantum theory of the gravitational field, and thus understanding what is quantum spacetime, is still open. One of the most active of the current approaches is loop quantum gravity. Loop quantum gravity is a…
General relativity in three spacetime dimensions is used to explore three approaches to the ``problem of time'' in quantum gravity: the internal Schr\"odinger approach with mean extrinsic curvature as a time variable, the Wheeler-DeWitt…
We present an introduction to Group Field Theory models, motivating them on the basis of their relationship with discretized BF models of gravity. We derive the Feynmann rules and compute quantum corrections in the coherent states basis.
It is well known that, in the first-order formalism, pure three-dimensional gravity is just the BF theory. Similarly, four-dimensional general relativity can be formulated as BF theory with an additional constraint term added to the…
Conventional approaches to quantum gravity regard quantum principles, such as nonlocality and superposition, as fundamental properties of nature and therefore argue that gravity must also be quantized. In contrast, this work introduces a…
We present a candidate quantum field theory of gravity with dynamical critical exponent equal to z=3 in the UV. (As in condensed matter systems, z measures the degree of anisotropy between space and time.) This theory, which at short…
The Ponzano-Regge model of three-dimensional quantum gravity is well-defined when the observables satisfy a certain condition involving the twisted cohomology. In this case, the partition function is defined in terms of the Reidemeister…
A recently proposed algebraic representation of the causal set model of the small-scale structure of space-time of Sorkin et al. is briefly reviewed and expanded. The algebraic model suggested, called quantum causal set, is physically…
In 4 dimensions, general relativity can be formulated as a constrained $BF$ theory; we show that the same is true in 2 dimensions. We describe a spinfoam quantization of this constrained BF-formulation of 2d riemannian general relativity,…
In this article we give a systematic definition of the recently introduced spin foam models for four dimensional quantum gravity reviewing the main results on their semiclassical limit on fixed discretizations.
We present an approach to quantum gravity based on the general boundary formulation of quantum mechanics, path integral quantization, spin foam models and renormalization.
We analyse the classical and quantum geometry of the Barrett-Crane spin foam model for four dimensional quantum gravity, explaining why it has to be considering as a covariant realization of the projector operator onto physical quantum…
A possible ground state of Quantum Gravity is Wheeler's ``space-time foam'', which can be modeled as a ``Planck-lattice'', a space-time cubic lattice of lattice constant $a_P\simeq 10^{33}$cm, the Planck length. I analyse the structure of…
Familiar textbook quantum mechanics assumes a fixed background spacetime to define states on spacelike surfaces and their unitary evolution between them. Quantum theory has changed as our conceptions of space and time have evolved. But…
A 4-dimensional Lorentzian static space-time is equivalent to 3-dimensional Euclidean gravity coupled to a massless Klein-field. By canonically quantizing the coupling model in the framework of loop quantum gravity, we obtain a quantum…
We construct explicitly a (12g-12)-dimensional space P of unconstrained and independent initial data for 't Hooft's polygon model of (2+1) gravity for vacuum spacetimes with compact genus-g spacelike slices, for any g >= 2. Our method…
We propose an approach which, by combining insights from Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG), Topos theory, Non-commutative Geometry \`a la Connes, and spacetime relationalism, provides fertile ground for the search of an adequate spacetime picture…