Related papers: A modified c=1 matrix model with new critical beha…
We present the results of a numerical simulation aimed at understanding the nature of the `c = 1 barrier' in two dimensional quantum gravity. We study multiple Ising models living on dynamical $\phi^3$ graphs and analyse the behaviour of…
The role of topology change in a fundamental theory of quantum gravity is still a matter of debate. However, when regarding string theory as two-dimensional quantum gravity, topological fluctuations are essential. Here we present a third…
We construct a combined non-perturbative path integral over geometries and topologies for two-dimensional Lorentzian quantum gravity. The Lorentzian structure is used in an essential way to exclude geometries with unacceptably large…
We study the geometries generated by two-dimensional causal dynamical triangulations (CDT) coupled to $d$ massless scalar fields. Using methods similar to those used to study four-dimensional CDT we show that there exists a $c=1$ "barrier",…
We consider a model of discretized 2d gravity interacting with Ising spins where phase boundaries are restricted to have minimal length and show analytically that the critical exponent $\gamma= 1/3$ at the spin transition point. The model…
We consider the double-scaling limit in matrix models for two-dimensional quantum gravity, and establish the nonperturbative functional Renormalization Group as a novel technique to compute the corresponding interacting fixed point of the…
In this talk I review some of the recent developments in the field of random surfaces and the Dynamical Triangulation approach to simplicial quantum gravity. In two dimensions I focus on the c=1 barrier and the fractal dimension of…
Large $N$ matrix models modified by terms of the form $ g(\Tr\Phi^n)^2$ generate random surfaces which touch at isolated points. Matrix model results indicate that, as $g$ is increased to a special value $g_t$, the string susceptibility…
Starting from the semiclassical reduced-action approach to transplanckian scattering by Amati, Veneziano and one of us and from our previous quantum extension of that model, we investigate the S-matrix expression for inelastic processes by…
Bimetric theory describes gravitational interactions in the presence of an extra spin-2 field. Previous work has suggested that its cosmological solutions are generically plagued by instabilities. We show that by taking the Planck mass for…
We analyze the phase diagram of a quantum mean spherical model in terms of the temperature $T$, a quantum parameter $g$, and the ratio $p=-J_{2}/J_{1}$, where $J_{1}>0$ refers to ferromagnetic interactions between first-neighbor sites along…
It is well-known that the sum over topologies in quantum gravity is ill-defined, due to a super-exponential growth of the number of geometries as a function of the space-time volume, leading to a badly divergent gravitational path integral.…
We develop a novel approach to gravity that we call `matrix general relativity' (MGR) or `gravitational chromodynamics' (GCD or GQCD for quantum version). Gravity is described in this approach not by one Riemannian metric (i.e. a symmetric…
We derive a spacetime formulation of quantum general relativity from (hamiltonian) loop quantum gravity. In particular, we study the quantum propagator that evolves the 3-geometry in proper time. We show that the perturbation expansion of…
In Hawking's Euclidean path integral approach to quantum gravity, the partition function is computed by summing contributions from all possible topologies. The behavior such a sum can be estimated in three spacetime dimensions in the limit…
An outstanding challenge for models of non-perturbative quantum gravity is the consistent formulation and quantitative evaluation of physical phenomena in a regime where geometry and matter are strongly coupled. After developing appropriate…
Using field theoretic renormalization group methods we study the critical behavior of a driven diffusive system near a boundary perpendicular to the driving force. The boundary acts as a particle reservoir which is necessary to maintain the…
We present a simple argument which determines the critical value of the anomaly coefficient in four dimensional conformal factor quantum gravity, at which a phase transition between a smooth and elongated phase should occur. The argument is…
Generalized causal dynamical triangulations (generalized CDT) is a model of two-dimensional quantum gravity in which a limited number of spatial topology changes is allowed to occur. We solve the model at the discretized level using…
We describe the motivation behind the recent formulation of a nonperturbative path integral for Lorentzian quantum gravity defined through Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT). In the case of two dimensions the model is analytically…