Related papers: Background Fields in 2+1 Topological Gravity
The level-k U(1) Chern-Simons theory is a spin topological quantum field theory for k odd. Its dynamics is captured by the 2d CFT of a compact boson with a certain radius. Recently it was recognized that a dependence on the 2d spin…
The observable properties of topological quantum matter are often described by topological field theories. We here demonstrate that this principle extends beyond thermal equilibrium. To this end, we construct a model of two-dimensional…
The deformation quantization formalism is applied to the linearized gravitational field. Standard aspects of this formalism are worked out before the ground state Wigner functional is obtained. Finally, the propagator for the graviton is…
We identify an explicit set of complete and independent Wilson loop invariants for 2+1 gravity on a three-manifold $M=\R\times\Sigma^g$, with $\Sigma^g$ a compact oriented Riemann surface of arbitrary genus $g$. In the derivation we make…
We find the canonical and Belinfante energy-momentum tensors and their nonzero traces. We note that the dilatation symmetry is broken and the divergence of the dilatation current is proportional to the topological mass of the gauge field.…
We compute the partition function of $2D$ Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity at finite cutoff in two ways: (i) via an exact evaluation of the Wheeler-DeWitt wave-functional in radial quantization and (ii) through a direct computation of the…
In this paper a topological theory of gravity is studied on a four-manifold using the formalism of Capovilla {\sl et al}. We show that it is fact equivalent to Anselmi and Fre's topological gravity using the topological symmetries. Using…
We propose a topological version of four-dimensional (Euclidean) Einstein gravity, in which anti-self-dual 2-forms and an SU(2) connection are used as fundamental fields. The theory describes the moduli space of conformally self-dual…
Expression for second post-Newtonian level gravitational deflection angle of massive particles is obtained in a model independent framework. Several of its important implications including the possibility of testing gravitational theories…
In this paper we report some results obtained by applying the radial gauge to 2+1 dimensional gravity. The general features of this gauge are reviewed and it is shown how they allow the general solution of the problem in terms of simple…
We study and discuss some of the consequences of the inclusion of torsion in 3D Einstein-Chern-Simons gravity. Torsion may trigger the excitation of non-physical modes in the spectrum. Higher-derivative terms are then added up and…
It is commonly accepted that the study of 2+1 dimensional quantum gravity could teach us something about the 3+1 dimensional case. The non-perturbative methods developed in this case share, as basic ingredient, a reformulation of gravity as…
We consider background fields within the gravitational sector of the Standard-Model Extension (SME) in a cosmological setting. Our analysis is divided into two parts. The first part addresses the consistency of nondynamical backgrounds in…
The theory of embedded random surfaces, equivalent to two--dimensional quantum gravity coupled to matter, is reviewed, further developed and partly generalized to four dimensions. It is shown that the action of the Liouville field theory…
Motivated by string dualities we propose topological gravity as the early phase of our universe. The topological nature of this phase naturally leads to the explanation of many of the puzzles of early universe cosmology. A concrete…
We propose a description of open universes in the Chern-Simons formulation of (2+1)-dimensional gravity where spatial infinity is implemented as a puncture. At this puncture, additional variables are introduced which lie in the cotangent…
We introduce a model designed to describe charged particles as stable topological solitons of a field with values on the internal space S^3. These solitons behave like particles with relativistic properties like Lorentz contraction and…
The constraints of $BF$ topological gauge theories are used to construct Hamiltonians which are anti-commutators of the BRST and anti-BRST operators. Such Hamiltonians are a signature of Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFT's). By…
In the present article, Chern-Simons gauge theory and its relationship with gravity are revisited from a geometrical viewpoint. In this setting, our goals are twofold: In one hand, to show how to represent the family of variational problems…
We apply the recently suggested strategy to lift state spaces and operators for (2+1)-dimensional topological quantum field theories to state spaces and operators for a (3+1)-dimensional TQFT with defects. We start from the…