Related papers: Question on D=26 --- String Theory versus Quantum …
We here conjecture that two much-studied aspects of quantum gravity, dimensional flow and spacetime fuzziness, might be deeply connected. We illustrate the mechanism, providing first evidence in support of our conjecture, by working within…
Quantum gravity places entirely new challenges on the formulation of a consistent theory as well as on an extraction of potentially observable effects. Quantum corrections due to the gravitational field are commonly expected to be tiny…
The target space theory of the N=(2,1) heterotic string may be interpreted as a theory of gravity coupled to matter in either $1+1$ or $2+1$ dimensions. Among the target space theories in $1+1$ dimensions are the bosonic, type II, and…
We discuss how Moyal deformations of gauge theories, which arise naturally from open string theory, fit into the paradigm of colour-kinematics duality and the double copy of gauge theory to gravity. Along the way we encounter novel…
Quantization of two-dimensional dilaton gravity coupled to conformal matter is investigated. Working in conformal gauge about a fixed background metric, the theory may be viewed as a sigma model whose target space is parameterized by the…
Modified theories of gravity have been invoked recently as an alternative to dark energy, in an attempt to explain the apparent accelerated expansion of the universe at the present time. In order to describe inhomogeneities in cosmological…
We argue that a consistent coupling of a quantum theory to gravity requires an extension of ordinary `first order' Riemannian geometry to second order Riemannian geometry, which incorporates both a line element and an area element. This…
The problem of reconciling general relativity and quantum theory has fascinated and bedeviled physicists for more than 70 years. Despite recent progress in string theory and loop quantum gravity, a complete solution remains out of reach. I…
The gauge invariant loop variable formalism and old covariant formalism for bosonic open string theory are compared in this paper. It is expected that for the free theory, after gauge fixing, the loop variable fields can be mapped to those…
The central topic of this thesis is two dimensional Quantum Gravity and its properties. The term Quantum Gravity itself is ambiguous as there are many proposals for its correct formulation and none of them have been verified experimentally.…
We consider a quantum field theory on a spherically symmetric quantum space time described by loop quantum gravity. The spin network description of space time in such a theory leads to equations for the quantum field that are discrete. We…
This article provides some historical background and then reviews developments in string theory over the last twenty-five years or so. Both perturbative and non-perturbative approaches to string theory are surveyed and their impact on how…
Guided primarily by versions of a theoretical framework called Doubly Special Relativity, or DSR, that are supposed to entail speeds of light that vary with energy while preserving the relativity of inertial frames, quantum-gravity…
One of the sources of incompatibility between general relativity and quantum mechanics is perturbative non-renormalizability of quantum gravity in $3+1$ spacetime dimensions. Here, we show that in the presence of disorder induced by random…
We analyze 2+1-dimensional gravity in the framework of quantum gauge theory. We find that Einstein gravity has a trivial physical subspace which reflects the fact that the classical solution in empty space is flat. Therefore we study…
Duality refers to two equivalent descriptions of the same theory from different points of view. Recently there has been tremendous progress in formulating and understanding possible dualities of quantum many body theories in $2+1$-spacetime…
We offer an interpretation of super-quantum correlations in terms of a "doubly" quantum theory. We argue that string theory, viewed as a quantum theory with two deformation parameters, the string tension \alpha' and the string coupling…
The question of general covariance in quantum gravity is considered in the first post-Newtonian approximation. Transformation properties of observable quantities under deformations of a reference frame, induced by variations of the gauge…
A criterion to be satisfied by a string theory of QCD is formulated in the ultraviolet regime. It arises from the trace anomaly of the QCD stress tensor computed using instantons. It is sensitive to asymptotic freedom. It appears to be…
We discuss some aspects of the relation between dualities and gauge symmetries. Both of these ideas are of course multi-faceted, and we confine ourselves to making two points. Both points are about dualities in string theory, and both have…