Related papers: Chirality deconfinement beyond the $C=1$ barrier o…
The strong coupling physics of two dimensional gravity at $C=7$, $13$, $19$ is summarized. It is based on a new set of local fields which do not preserve chirality. Thus this quantum number becomes ``deconfined'' in the strongly coupled…
The strong coupling physics of two dimensional gravity at C=7, 13, 19 is deciphered, by building up on previous works along the same line (for a recent review, of the background material, see hep-th/9408069). It is shown that chirality…
It is shown that conformal matter with $c_{\ssc L}\not=c_{\ssc R}$ can be consistently coupled to two-dimensional `frame' gravity. The theory is quantized, following David, and Distler and Kawai, using the derivation of their {\it ansatz}…
We briefly outline several main results concerning various new physically relevant features found in gravity -- both ordinary Einstein or $f(R)=R+R^2$ gravity in the first-order formalism, coupled to a special kind of nonlinear…
A classical two dimensional theory of gravity which has a number of interesting features (including a Newtonian limit, black holes and gravitational collapse) is quantized using conformal field theoretic techniques. The critical dimension…
While most fundamental interactions in nature are known to be mediated by quantized fields, the possibility has been raised that gravity may behave differently. Making this concept precise enough to test requires consistent models. Here we…
We spell out the derivation of novel features, put forward earlier in a letter, of two dimensional gravity in the strong coupling regime, at $C_L=7$, 13, 19. Within the operator approach previously developed, they neatly follow from the…
We describe recent attempts at discretizing canonical quantum gravity in four dimensions in terms of a connection formulation. This includes a general introduction, a comparison between the real and complex connection approach, and a…
A general way of interpreting odd dimensional models as a doublet of chiral models is discussed. Based on the equations of motion this dual composition is illustrated. Examples from quantum mechanics, field theory and gravity are…
A strong coupling limit of theories whose low-energy effective field theory is 5-dimensional N=8 supergravity is proposed in which the gravitational coupling becomes large. It is argued that, if this limit exists, it should be a…
We construct a chiral theory of gravity in 7 and 8 dimensions, which are equivalent to Einstein-Cartan theory using less variables. In these dimensions, we can construct such higher dimensional chiral gravity because of the existence of…
We discuss a new interaction for chiral models in four-dimensional ${\cal N}=1$ supergavity. It contains a new arbitrary function in addition to the K\"ahler potential and superpotential. Its features include linearly realized off-shell…
An overview of matter-coupled ${\cal N}=2$ supergravity theories with 8 real supercharges, in 4,5 and 6 dimensions is given. The construction of the theories by superconformal methods is explained from basic principles. Special geometry is…
We propose and study a new first order version of the ghost-free massive gravity. Instead of metrics or tetrads, it uses a connection together with Plebanski's chiral 2-forms as fundamental variables, rendering the phase space structure…
We discuss in some detail the properties of gravity (including f(R)-gravity) coupled to non-standard nonlinear gauge field system containing a square root of the usual Maxwell Lagrangian. The latter is known to produce in flat spacetime a…
The study of general two dimensional models of gravity allows to tackle basic questions of quantum gravity, bypassing important technical complications which make the treatment in higher dimensions difficult. As the physically important…
We formulate quantum gravity in $2+\epsilon$ dimensions in such a way that the conformal mode is explicitly separated. The dynamics of the conformal mode is understood in terms of the oversubtraction due to the one loop counter term. The…
I outline a series of results obtained in collaboration with A. Waldron on the properties of massive higher (s>1) spin fields in cosmological, constant curvature, backgrounds and the resulting unexpected qualitative effects on their degrees…
We discuss some problems related to dimensional reductions of gravity theories to two-dimensional and one-dimensional dilaton gravity models. We first consider the most general cylindrical reductions of the four-dimensional gravity and…
We present mechanisms for generating conical singularities both in three and four-dimensions in the systems with copies of scalar or chiral multiplets coupled to $N=2$ or $N=1$ supergravity. Our mechanisms are useful for supersymmetry…